Amnesia
by KingRadish
Summary: In which Lucy forgets everything and Natsu makes a deal with the devil in exchange for something he cannot give. Fear, loss, and pain run rampant, but not without love, happiness, and thegood things in life. Family will stand by you, no matter what you are: human, dragon, or anything in between.
1. The S-Class Quest

**Um hi guys! This is my first story so please be nice! :) I love Fairy Tail and especially Natsu x Lucy! 3**

**Read and review please? Constructive critcism is welcome, but no hate**

**Oh, btw, its a happy ending. So no worries!**

**I don't own any of the characters, Hiro Mashima does!**

**Thank you and enjoy!**

* * *

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 1**

She knew this was a bad idea from the beginning.

* * *

"_Luceeee!"_

_She turned to face a very excited dragonslayer crouched on her windowsill, with a flying blue cat trailing behind him. To be honest, she was looking for some peace and quiet so she could sit and work on her novel. Whenever Natsu showed up, however, peace and quiet went MIA. She sighed and put her work away. "What is it, Natsu?"_

"_Well…" He looked a bit nervous, and she could see his face turning a light shade of pink. Her mind immediately went into overload. Was he going to...? No! He's Natsu! He's as dense as a rock! He would never understand her feelings… She shook her head furiously to rid her mind of the images of her together with the pink-haired boy. "Your face is really red, weirdo." The dragonslayer said as Happy sang happily in the background about how Lucy's face looks like a big tomato. _

"_I'm fine!" She hurriedly changed the topic after delivering a punch to Happy, "What do you have there?" Lucy pointed to the piece of paper sticking out of Natsu's pocket. _

"_Ah… Um… Promise you won't get mad!" He looked thoroughly guilty, she decided. _

"_Okay, spit it out," she commanded._

_Natsu unrolled the piece of paper slowly and carefully, as if it would decide the fate of the world. When Lucy saw the large "S-Class" at the top of the page, she knew exactly what her friend had done. After all, the same thing had happened not too long ago, when they made their excursion to Galuna Island. _

_She would scream at him first, then Lucy-Kick him out of the window, she decided. "You never learn, do you?!" The celestial mage whirled around to glare at the pink-haired boy, but stopped when she saw the hopeful look written plainly on his face. He looked like a little boy waiting for Santa Clause to drop by on Christmas Eve. _

"_Luce… Let's go on another S-Class quest!" He flinched when she shot him another death glare. "Please? It'll be fun! Just you, me, and Happy! And look at the reward!"_

_Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of her head. 100,000,000 jewels? 100 MILLION? That's… a thousand months of rent! Her brain shut down at all the zeroes. All the clothes, all the stuff she could buy… Heck, she could probably even buy her own place to live instead of renting, not that she really minded, though. _

_She cleared her throat. "Well, since I do need rent money…" _

"_Really? You'll come?" Natsu jumped from the windowsill to her room and pulled her into a hug. Lucy could swear her head almost exploded. Thank God he couldn't see how red her face was. When he finally let go, the dragonslayer's eyes were sparkling with anticipation. "See ya, Luce! I gotta go prepare!" He gave her a boyish grin that made her heart leap, before jumping back out of the window with Happy._

_She trudged downstairs to her livingroom, arguing with herself about the decision she made. Her intuition was screaming at her not to go, but the reward dominated her mind. _Not to mention Natsu,_ she thought to herself._

"_Yo, Lucy!" Grey sat on her couch, butt naked. _

"_Kyaaaaa!" Next thing Grey knew, he was Lucy-Kicked out onto the street unceremoniously. "Get dressed!"_

_A few minutes later, he appeared at her door again, fully dressed. "Can I come in?" She nodded. He sat down and continued. "So, I heard that someone stole a S-Class mission request. Do you happen to know anything about that?" He leaned forward and raised an eyebrow._

_Lucy freaked out. She'd never been good at lying, and Grey obviously knew the truth. _The cat's out of the bag,_ she thought grimly. "Erm… Yeah, about that…"_

_Grey waved his hand dismissively as he unconsciously started stripping again. "Natsu and Happy stole it. I know." He leaned forward again. "I'm not here to investigate. I want in."_

"_EH?" _

"_Or would you rather I tell Erza about it?" He smirked, pulling out the trump card._

_Lucy imagined Titania's reaction and shuddered. "I guess you can come, but-"_

"_Okay, thanks! Bye!" And the stripper was gone._

_How did she always get stuck with these weirdos?_

_Then, she realized that she didn't even know what the quest was about.  
_

* * *

Her whip bounced uselessly off the monster's thick hide as Taurus was knocked out.

"Mooooo! Sorry, Lucyyyy!" He disappeared in a gold flash.

She was exhausted. They've been fighting for quite a few hours now, and her magic reserves were all but depleted. She groaned. Now what could she do? If she'd known that they'd be fighting a Chimera, she never would have come. Not even for the reward. Apparently, the monster had been terrorizing the surrounding towns and was the cause of many wizard deaths. She'd been fighting with Grey to take down the Chimera, but its snake tail had knocked him unconscious. His limp form was now leaning against a tree behind Natsu, who was holding the monster's offspring (who knew it had a nest!) at bay. Waves after waves of the mini monsters just kept swarming him, just to get scorched by his flames. It was clear however, that even Natsu was getting tired. His movements were slowing and becoming sloppy, and his flames were flickering out.

The Chimera suddenly caught her off-guard and charged. The goat head rammed into her and sent her flying backward into a tree. The pain was excruciating. Lucy crumpled to the ground, knowing that she had broken something. She opened her mouth to scream, but all that came out was blood, sickly sweet and dark. The Chimera turned away from her, knowing she could no longer move, much less do any damage. It focused instead on the Salamander, who was massacring its offspring. With a roar, it bounded toward the boy, who was hopelessly trying to fend off the masses of lion-snake-goat hybrids.

"Natsu…" Lucy tried to warn him of the approaching danger. "Natsu!" She was out of breath and knew that more than a few of her ribs were broken. "Natsu, WATCH OUT!" She summoned all of her strength and shouted. Pain overwhelmed her, but she managed to get on her hands and knees.

Said dragonslayer turned at the sound of her voice and saw the great mother Chimera bounding toward him, murderous intent evident in its black eyes. _Oh, crap._ He thought. This time, he really didn't know what to do. All around him were little poison baby Chimeras trying to kill him, and in front of him was their angry mom. He knew that Grey was behind him, knocked out and useless. Lucy was… Where was Lucy? He looked around for the pretty blonde, but she was nowhere to be seen. He felt his chest tighten at the thought of her getting hurt.

There's nothing left to do but fight. After half a minute of fighting, though, he could tell that he was being overwhelmed. His magic power was at its limit, whereas the monsters just kept coming. "Don't give up…" he muttered to himself like a mantra, all the while losing hope in the battle.

Several cuts on his arms were bleeding freely now, which only seemed to excite the monster. The lion head roared almost triumphantly as the Chimera increased the speed of its attacks. It was all Natsu could do to just guard himself. As the lion head and the goat head attacked the boy relentlessly, the snake-headed tail prepared to strike with its lethal poison. It knew that there was no cure for the toxin, save for death.

Fire. Natsu tilted his head in the midst of the battle. He could smell fire somewhere close. Finally, he saw Lucy crouched behind a great tree trying to start a forest fire. He grinned, appreciating her actions. If he could eat the fire, he might have a chance! All he had to do was buy some more time for the fire to grow.

With renewed vigor, Natsu continued the battle, evading the monster's attacks and throwing in his own attacks. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lucy flash him a thumbs up as the forest came alive with dancing flames. The fire dragonslayer relaxed for a moment, enjoying the warmth his element brought him.

The Chimera took this chance to strike. Fast as lightning, the snake tail sprang forward, fangs glinting in the light of the fire. A drop of poison fell from its mouth, and a hole opened up in the earth where it landed. Natsu was oblivious to its attack as he prepared to dine on the fire and replenish his depleting magic power.

"NATSU!" Out of seemingly nowhere, the celestial mage's figure rammed into him and knocked him back. The snake's fangs sank into the girl's side.

From that moment on, the world moved in slow motion for the dragonslayer. Everything was warped and twisted, like seeing a 3D movie without special glasses. The Chimera roared, conquering, as it surveyed its handiwork. Lucy fell from the snake's jaws ever so slowly, like she was made of paper. She was smiling her gentle, pretty smile. He stumbled forward in shock to try and catch her, but it was like moving in molasses. She fell before he could get to her. Her side was turning purple and her face was turning white. Her forehead was covered in sweat and her chest heaved irregularly. Worst of all, she was turning cold, like she was… dying. Natsu picked her up carefully, bridal style.

"Luce," he whispered; his voice hoarse. "Luce, please…" His vision blurred as he realized he was crying. "Goddammit!" His voice cracked dangerously.

Her eyes fluttered as she felt a tear land on her cheek. "Natsu?" Her voice was nothing more than a breath, but to her nakama it was louder than thunder. "Hey Natsu, don't cry… I'm fine…"

Her body temperature dropped further as the purple stain spread across her middle. He raised his own body temperature in an attempt to warm her. The great Salamander, usually so happy and cheerful, didn't know what to say. His nakama was dying in his arms, and it was all. His. Fault. "I'm so sorry, I'm SO FUCKING SORRY!" His body shook as he cried painful tears of regret. This was worse than when Igneel left. This was…

"Shh… It's not your fault. Don't say that." She raised a shaking hand and wiped his tears away. "You're so warm…" She closed her eyes and leaned closer to him.

He put his forehead to hers. She was freezing now. He felt her eyelashes brush against his eyelid and he opened his eyes to meet the chocolate brown orbs that he loved so much. The fire of the forest flickered in her eyes. "Natsu, I love you." She smiled.

"I…I love you too, weirdo." She sighed in contentment and closed her eyes. Natsu felt her go limp in his arms. "Luce! Lucy! Stay with me! Please!"

And the world came crashing down.


	2. Suppressing the Poison

**Chapter 2**

**Here's chapter 2! Thanks for the reviews and favorites! You guys are the best.**

**I will try to upload another chapter before the end of July. In August, I will be on vacation, so I probably will only get time for a chapter or two. Please review and fav! :)**

**Please pardon any typos and mistakes. I typed this in the morning and I was really sleepy.**

**Also, I'm open to suggestions about what might happen next. Honestly, I'm playing this by ear and I have no idea where the story is going. **

**Thanks again! Enjoy ^.^**

* * *

She thought that she would die.

She had leapt in front of her nakama, willing to lay down her life to protect him. _Finally, the damsel in distress saves her dragon. _When black patches had begun to spot her vision, Lucy felt sure that she was on the path to meet her mother. Strangely, she had no regrets. If she had another shot at life, she knew that she would do the exact same thing. As she lay in Natsu's arms, withering away, she figured that this was her last chance to tell him. "I love you, Natsu."

"I... I love you too, weirdo."

There's so much more I want to say, she thought sadly. But there isn't enough time...

A warm feeling spread through her chest as she embraced the darkness that swallowed her whole. At least I told him... The warmth faded quickly, to be replaced by iciness and a harsh pressure on her throat. The cold seemed to flow through her veins, burning her. She tried to cry out, but the unrelenting pressure on her neck only increased. The celestial mage gasped for air, yet found none. Is this what death feels like? She thought grimly as her consciousness faded away.

Oblivion claimed her. Her last coherent thought was on a certain pink-haired dragonslayer.

* * *

He woke up staring at the sky, lying in a black pool.

Tree branches, burnt and bare, reached up into the sky like skeletal fingers, grasping at the unattainable heavens. The boy on the ground sighed deeply, as if trying to release all of the negativity that curled like a snake in the pit of his stomach.

_When is Igneel going to come?_ He thought, almost incoherently. _When is dinner? _He moved his hand around in the liquid, enjoying the coolness of it running through his calloused, injured fingers. _Blood. I'm lying in blood. _No sense of repulsiveness came to him, but he felt obliged to move.

Natsu tried to sit up, but his limbs felt numb, like pieces of lead tied to his body. Nothing moved when he willed his body to respond. His eyelids felt heavy and swollen, so he contemplated the idea of another nap. On top of that, he had a killer headache. _I'm probably just tir-_

Pain. _A blonde girl falling to the ground._

Hate. _Onyx eyes turning red with rage._

Murder. _Dragon's flames licking the sky as black blood flies…_

He spasmed violently as sudden, grisly visions filled his head. For a moment, all he could see was a monster mercilessly beating its opponent to a pulp. Red-white flames, streaked with black, engulfed the monster as the Chimera screeched shrilly, a death wail; a pathetic plea against the unforgiving demon that emerged from the fire- a gory god bathed in blood and fire, power and pain radiating from every inch of his body.

_That's _you, _Natsu Dragneel. _A deep, malicious voice chuckled in his mind, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. _The Salamander of Fairy Tail; a god, a monster_, it purred, relishing the syllables.

_Who are you? _The boy said, looking for an escape from this nightmarish dream. Fear found its way into his heart.

_I am you,_ it laughed, a rumble from the depths of hell. _I am the shadow cast by your flames. I'm the other side of you. _Natsu could almost hear the smirk on the stupid's voice's face; if it had one, that is. _Ooh… Here's the good part. _

The demon- no, _he_- roared as he stood over the Chimera's battered corpse. He was the king; he was the winner. The roar shook the forest as birds took flight from the trees. Yet there was nothing triumphant in the sound. _No, _Natsu watched the tears run down the blood-splattered face of the boy in the vision. _It's the saddest sound I've ever heard. _

The vision shattered, but the heart-wrenching cry followed him out of the nightmare.

His blissful ignorance in his initial state of confusion was shattered along with the vision. He was Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail, no longer the innocent little boy who lived with Igneel, nor the cheerful teen who spent his time with friends. He clawed at his Fairy Tail insignia, knowing that he no longer deserved it. His hands were stained with blood, and his heart was heavy with the guilt of his nakama's death.

Her name was Lucy Heartfillia. The love of his life. Lucy.

Natsu Dragneel, who was so gung-ho about family, about nakama, about the guild; who would gladly lay down his life for all three, was the reason the one he cared most for was cold and lifeless. Oh, how bitter was the irony. It was hard to swallow. _And he was supposed to be her protector…_

He slowly stood up, the blood he'd been lying in running off his body in torrents. He didn't care that Igneel's scarf was torn and bloodied. He didn't care that he needed medical attention. He only cared about one Lucy Heartfillia. She was his beacon. If he could only reach her…

Wobbling painfully, he shuffled toward Lucy, stumbling and trembling with effort. Only when he stood in front of her did he realize that she was lying in the arms of Grey Fullbuster, who watched the bloody boy warily with dark eyes. _Is he scared of me? _Natsu thought. The way the ice mage held _his _girl made his hair stand up on end. The two made eye contact and unspoken words flew between them.

"You don't look so good," Grey commented drily, cradling Lucy's still form.

Natsu opened his mouth to snap at him, but Grey beat him to it.

"Don't worry. She's not dead." He coughed, a spurt of blood coming from his mouth. The dragonslayer looked at him worriedly, noticing that his lips were tinted a poisonous shade of purple, but the ice mage waved his worry away. "Look, I'm okay. I sucked out some of the poison in her body and froze the rest. The only thing keeping her alive right now is a thin layer of my ice, which is melting rapidly because of her body heat. I can't try that again, because I'm out of magic power." He gestured at his legs, "I can't move and I can't make splints. The rest is up to you, Dragneel." Grey held out the motionless girl to the dragonslayer, his arms trembling with the effort. "Get her to Porlyusica."

Natsu nodded, naked gratitude in his eyes as he gently pulled Lucy closer to him. Suddenly, he felt less lost. She looked so peaceful… He had a reason to live for. No matter what, he was going to save Lucy, even if this body of his falls apart. "Don't you die on me, Luce," he whispered before running out of the forest clearing as fast as his injured body would allow him to. Deep cuts opened as his blood started to run, but he refused to stop. "HAPPY!" He cried, his voice sounding alien and rough to his own ears.

A small blue figure came barreling out of the forest almost immediately. While the mages had been fighting, the cat had been given the task of watching over their camp and fishing for their dinner. When he had heard a dragon's roar resounding through the forest, he knew that something had gone wrong. The voice was no doubt Natsu's, but it held so much loss and sadness in its depths. Happy had decided to go look for his best friend, but had gotten lost in the forest, having not been blessed with the dragonslayer's sharp sense of smell. When he heard Natsu's voice calling his name close-by, he rushed to meet him. Happy the exceed, normally so inquisitive, asked no questions this time and simply lifted the two of them to Porlyusica's home, even when he felt that his arms would fall off.

It's just what nakamas do for each other.

* * *

Eventually, the absolute darkness ceded. Her world was still black, but she realized that she could _see. _A strange, soft light was fighting the darkness away, bit by bit, as the darkness writhed and snapped back, but was kept at bay. A beautiful blonde woman stepped toward her, dressed in sparkling fabrics. Lucy couldn't help but stare. The woman was effortlessly graceful, like a swan, as she floated toward her. _Mom? _

_Lucy. My lucky Lucy. _Layla Heartfillia smiled. _What are you doing here?_

_Mom… _Lucy could feel the tears on her cheeks as she ran toward her mother's embrace. Suddenly, she was five again. _Mom, I missed you! Where's Dad? I have so much to tell you, now that we're finally together again!_

Layla's smile disappeared. _Lucy, we're not together. You're not dead. _Her mouth pressed into a hard line as she gestured behind her. Lucy looked up, surprised to see that Fairy Tail stood behind her mother. She even noticed a few friends she had made on their adventures together.

_Everyone… _She looked around, searching in the crowd for a head of pink hair.

_You have friends to live for, my dear Lucy. Don't give up on life. Don't die so easily! _Layla let go of her daughter and walked away, her body disintegrating along with the visions of her friends.

_Wait! Don't leave me! Don't go! _Lucy ran forward desperately, clutching for her mom as Layla's warm smile faded away in a shower of gold sparkles. Lucy fell to her knees and sobbed as the darkness enveloped her once again.

This time, however, she didn't lose consciousness. The darkness was like a blanket smothering her, rendering all of her thoughts useless and jumbled. Eventually, she stopped thinking all together and listened to her heart. _Bu-dum. Bu-dum. _The sound echoed in the darkness. _I'm not afraid, _she chanted bravely. Her mother and friends' visit soothed her a little, knowing now that she wasn't quite dead yet. _I'm NOT AFRAID!_

Suddenly, something brushed against her foot.

* * *

Porlyusica stared at the boy kneeling in front of her door. Covered in dirt, grime, and something black, he was hugging a girl to his chest like she was the most precious thing to him in the world.

"Please… Obaa-san, please help her…" He croaked, reluctantly holding the girl out just a little. Porlyusica realized with a jolt that she was one of Makarov's brats. Then he… She noticed a few patches of pink hair sticking up on his head, miraculously free from the black gunk that covered the rest of him. "Please. She's been bitten by a Chimera and she needs help…"

She was struck by the desperation in the boy's eyes. "Get up, human. Bring her inside and I will try to help her." She turned and walked inside. No one followed.

Porlyusica walked outside again, grumbling about human disobedience. "I said-"

The boy was crying. "I'm so sorry… I can't move anymore…" It was then that Porlyusica noticed the red blood pooling around his knees as he knelt there. Her expression softened. She walked down the steps and took the girl into her own arms, not caring that her clothes got dirty. "Thank you," said the boy, before he collapsed onto the ground.

The pink-haired witch groaned. Now she would have to carry him inside too. Then she noticed the exhausted blue cat stumbling toward to the boy. "Natsu…"

"Cat, go to the guild and bring the sky dragonslayer. I'll need her help." Happy looked up at the witch and nodded before taking to the sky once again, his wings flapping tiredly.

* * *

"Damn. I passed out again." Natsu woke up on a bed, disoriented and in pain. His noticed that he was covered in his own blood as well as the Chimera's. "That's right… I brought Lucy to the crazy old lady…"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN OLD LADY?!" He flinched as Porlyusica ranted about how impolite humans were. He noticed that she did not deny the "crazy" part. "Salamander, I gave you a potion to stop the bleeding. Your injuries are non-life-threatening, so you should be fine. I've prepared a healing bath for you, so go wash up." She turned and walked away.

"Wait!" Natsu hopped off the bed. "Obaa-san, how's Lucy?"

"The girl is in critical but stable condition. The poison is being controlled, but until the sky dragonslayer arrives to assist me, she will not wake." Porlyusica looked hesitant to continue. "The poison has poisoned her nerves and part of her brain already, so, to save her life, drastic measures may be needed."

"Drastic measures?" Natsu didn't like the sound of that.

"We will need to suppress the poisoned nerves. That means that parts of her brain might be wiped clean. She may never be the same again."

Those last words bounced around in Natsu's head, sounding more ominous with every rebound. "Never be the same?" He stuttered and backed up a few paces. His thoughts were running laps in his head, evading his grasp.

"Go take a bath, Salamander," the witch sighed as she lead the dirty, confused, and very scared boy to the washroom and locked him in. Then she added for good measure, "Get yourself cleaned up and stop stinking up my house!"

Humans… So rude, annoying, and unreasonable, but so endearing at the same time.

Porlyusica looked down at the girl lying on the bed in front of her, hoping with all her heart that she would survive.


	3. She's awake!

**Chapter 3**

**Hi this is Radish! :) Here is chapter 3! Sorry it's kinda long and boring... I'm rambling for most of it.**

**It's a bit longer than the last two chapters because I won't be updating for a couple of weeks. I'll be in China visiting my relatives for all of August so I might only have time for one or two chapters.**

**Thanks for your continued support! It makes me want to write more faster. Thanks especially to** fairy tail-cedes, **who has been helping me plan out the story. Thanks for your kind words and comments. **

**Please enjoy! (as much as you can) and please fav and/or review**

* * *

_Suddenly_,_ something brushed her foot._

_Kyaaaaa! _Her screech seemed to vibrate infinitely in the darkness. Her heart thumped painfully in her ribcage. She looked down, but could not see anything. Her mind, which had just stopped reeling, flew into disarray. Who knew what this evil blackness could conjure up? She had no way to defend herself.

Then, she face-palmed. _Silly me! I'm in my own mind. My body's probably just unconscious. I'm just scaring myself. _Lucy tried to calm down, but failed miserably. Her thoughts were rational, yet her fears were not. She could not shake the thought that she was not the master of her own mind anymore.

The absolute darkness was unnerving.

She felt something slither up her thigh. She shivered. _Stop scaring yourself, Lucy…_She hugged herself and curled into a fetal position. _I'm pathetic. What would Natsu do if he were in my shoes?_

"Yeah, what would I do?"

_My thoughts exactly! _Lucy nodded and straightened herself. Suddenly, she felt cold. _Wait a second… _Her heart stopped beating.

She slowly turned around.

* * *

"Has anyone seen Lu-chan today?" Levy inquired. "I wanna show her a new book!"

Gajeel lifted his head at the bar at the sound of his favourite bookworm's voice. "Bunny-girl's probably off on another mission with Salamander." Levy sighed and took her seat beside the iron dragonslayer. Gajeel thought she looked kind of dejected, so he patted her head gently, earning a small smile from the blunette. He turned away in a hurry; cheeks tinted a light shade of pink.

"Levy-san, I saw Natsu-san this morning, and he said he was going to fight a Chimera with Lucy-san and Grey-san…" Wendy approached Levy shyly as Charla led the way. "He seemed pretty excited…"

Master Makarov, who was sitting in his usual place under the flag, choked on his dinner. Mirajane rushed over to perform a J-thrust, succeeding in only making the Master's eyes bulge out of his skull. After his fits of coughing ceased, Makarov screamed bloody murder. "That… That impudent brat! So he's the one who stole the S-class mission request! He's going to get them killed! OHHHH I am going to make them SORRY!"

A very pissed-off Erza stood up, her armour clanking against the table she was sitting at, with a dark aura surrounding her being. "So, he's the one… That idiot never learns. I had my suspicions. Master, I will bring them back immediately for punishment." The dangerous glint in her eyes made him shudder.

"The request says that the Chimera is in the East Forest," Mira supplied helpfully with a smile. However, her insides were crawling with the thought of the punishment the unfortunate mages would receive.

"Chimeras are very powerful monsters with poison that kills, so be careful." Erza nodded as she requipped into her flight armour.

"Grey-sama is in danger! Juvia will come too!" Said water mage piped up as she strode into the light. She had been waiting all day for her object of affection, only to be informed that he was on a mission with her _love-rival_, of all people! Her blood boiled at the thought of all the naughty things Lucy could be doing to her Grey-sama.

"Ah, me too!" Levy jumped up to join the search party. "I want to check if Lu-chan is okay!"

Gajeel grunted and hopped off his stool by the bar, dusting himself off. The petite girl looked up at him questioningly. "If the shrimp is going, then I guess I'll come too," he grumbled, looking at everything but Levy.

Erza nodded her assent and the search party departed.

* * *

Moments after they left the guild hall, Wendy sat down at a table with her dinner, a small serving of mashed potatoes and chicken. "Mmm… Charla, doesn't this smell wonderful?" Wendy said to her exceed friend.

"Yes, but if you eat so much, you'll get fat like Droy," the motherly cat replied, ignoring the plant mage's loud objections. The young dragonslayer nodded and dug into her potatoes, savouring the rich, creamy taste of Mira's cooking. Fairy Tail was her home. She smiled as she caught snippets of Macao and Wakaba's discussion on youngsters these days (do they ever talk about anything else?) and saw Reedus still quietly sketching away, occasionally muttering "oui" as he drew.

Just as she was about to take a bite of the chicken, the guild doors were thrown open to reveal a scratched-up and tired blue cat, who promptly stumbled and collapsed in front everyone. The laughter and jokes were gone, replaced by murmurs of confusion and worry.

Wendy threw down her chicken and rushed to Happy. "Are you okay? You need to rest. Where's Natsu-san, Lucy-san, and Grey-san?" She could feel that Happy's magic power was at a dangerously low level. He'd really pushed himself to the limit. The exceed looked up at her with sad eyes.

"Wendy… Charla… Please save Lucy and Natsu… Porlyusica needs your help…" He sighed, hoping that he had gotten here in time. His wings had timed out halfway here so he had travelled the rest of the distance on foot. To make matters worse, he had fallen right into a rosebush, hence the scratches.

Wendy gave him a quick nod, determination in her eyes. "Mira-san, please take Happy to the infirmary. Charla and I will go to Porlyusica's to help." She glanced at the white exceed for affirmation, receiving nod in reply. The two took off without another word, arriving at said witch's house in a matter of minutes.

* * *

Natsu had no idea how long he stood in the washroom, staring at the door after Porlyusica left. His thoughts were swimming around in his head like alphabet soup. It was difficult to pick a single one out of the mess.

_What did she mean? Will Lucy really never be the same?_ His heart banged against his ribs as if in protest. He punched himself both physically and mentally. _This is all your fault, you stupid, irresponsible, weak idiot! _

_Natsu, I love you._

Ugghh! Why did he have to think of that right now? He knew that his cheeks were probably red. Stupid. The girl he loved was going to be permanently damaged because of him. He didn't deserve her at all, because he was weak and stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

STUPID!

He prayed for the first time in his life to the gods above, to let Lucy recover without any permanent damage.

After a while, he stripped and sat down in the now-cold healing bath dejectedly and winced. It stung. His stupid brain was getting him nowhere, but he really didn't want to admit that he could not do anything to help Lucy right now. The more worried he got, the more confused he became, and the more tired he felt. The day's battles and stress was starting to catch up to his weary body.

He yawned. And soon, the dragonslayer was asleep.

* * *

Natsu sat at the other side of the table, staring at himself.

_What the hell? _His mirror image grinned at him, leaning in its chair. _What's with the doppelganger? _

"Haha... Confused? You shouldn't be. After all, I am _you._" Natsu groaned. His head hurt already and they hadn't even gotten to the explanations yet. He was about to tell his twin to shut up when he saw its eyes.

They were blood red.

"You…" Natsu growled, fists clenching. This guy across the table from him was a demon.

"Now now," it smiled, showing off a row of sharp fangs, making Natsu run his tongue over his own teeth self-conciously. "Keep your pants on. I'm just here to make you a deal." It leaned forward as the dragonslayer pondered over the phrase. He never really understood the phrase 'keep your pants on'. It's not like he was about to strip!

"The deal…" His copy coughed, interrupting his thoughts. Natsu's eye twitched. He decided that the phrase was an insult that compared him to Grey the stripper. He really wanted to punch that demon in the face, but found that he couldn't move. He was rooted to the chair.

"What about it?" The pink-haired boy glared, a vein appearing on his forehead as he strained against his invisible bounds.

"Let's make a trade…"

* * *

"Grandine!"

Porlyusica turned at the sound of her Edolas name, knowing that only one person called her that. A little, blue-haired girl ran up the steps to her door along with her exceed friend, tripping epically on the top step.

"Ow…" She dusted herself off quickly and entered the witch's abode. "Grandine-san?"

"Wendy," Porlyusica waved her over to where Lucy lay. "She's been poisoned by a Chimera." The petite girl gasped. She quickly let the sky healing magic flow to her fingers and did an assessment of the blonde's condition.

She stepped back, her voice firm and strong, "We need to start suppressing the poison immediately. There's no way to completely remove such a potent poison from her system even with my healing abilities." Wendy looked around and sniffed, crinkling her nose at the smell of dead Chimera. "Is Natsu-san here as well? Lucy-san's going to need support through the pain."

* * *

Gajeel took a deep breath, savoring the smells of the forest until he picked up the smell of Grey and Natsu, the latter smelling strongly of smoke. "This way," he motioned for the rest to follow.

"Good boy," Erza commented, making the rest of the group chuckle. Gajeel grumbled and cussed under his breath until a look from Titania shut him up for good. They entered a clearing.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia was the first on the scene, rushing to the raven-haired boy who was leaning against a tree. Tears threatened to fall at his sorry state. His body was scraped and bloodied and his legs were definitely broken. His lips were swollen and purple and his normally sharp eyes were unfocused. "Oh, Gray-sama… What happened to you?" She stroke his hair as she hugged him to her chest.

"Juvia…?" He looked up to see concern written all over her face. Grey wasn't feeling so good, but compared to Lucy he was in no state to complain. "I feel better than I look." He chuckled at his fan girl, managing a small smile which Juvia did not return.

"Where are Natsu-san and my rival?" Her eyes were aglow with anger. "How could they leave you here like this? Where are they? Juvia will teach them a lesson…" She trailed off dangerously and cracked her knuckles.

Grey shook his head furiously as Juvia looked dubious. She began to clean his wounds with water from her body, squealing in joy on the inside when her love didn't push her away. _Ha! Love rival, Grey-sama is being washed by Juvia's water, not YOURS!_

By this time, the rest of the search party arrived, all looking very concerned. Grey figured that this was a very good time to start explaining. He had to at least get a few words in before Erza killed him.

"So, flame-brain, Lucy, and I went on the quest together…"

* * *

Natsu woke up with a start when he heard Wendy's voice.

He hopped out of the bath tub quickly, noting that he was now relatively clean and all of his wounds had closed up, leaving faint scars on his skin. He stared at the pile of blood-stained clothes on the floor as he toweled himself off, considering if he should wear that again.

Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door. "Natsu-san, are you done? I have some clean clothes for you…"

Wrapping the towel around his midsection, he opened the door. "Wendy! How's Lucy?"

The little girl stumbled backward when the door slammed open. Porlyusica shouted in the background about how humans are so destructive. Wendy looked up to see Natsu looking expectantly down at her. She shuffled her feet. "Um… Lucy-san is okay right now, but Grandine-san and I need to suppress the poison before it spreads further into her brain."

Natsu's face fell. "So, it's still going to change her brain?" Wendy nodded, tears in her eyes. She could smell the huge sense of loss and blame that the boy carried. It was even changing his scent. Natsu was like her big brother, and she hated making him sad or angry. He took the clean clothes and turned to trudge back in.

"But…" Natsu turned, perking up. Was there a silver lining? Wendy looked down at her feet. "Lucy-san might be okay, because the poison has only affected a small part of her brain. Sometimes, that doesn't change a person at all…"

Natsu flashed her one of his famous boyish smiles, warming her to the core. He knelt down in front of her and gave her a huge hug. "Please Wendy… I'm counting on you. Please save Luce…" His warm breath tickled her ear as he pulled away.

Wendy hugged herself and wondered. Was there some sort of new development between those two? The tender way he whispered Lucy's nickname hinted at his feeling, she thought. Wendy took a deep breath and set her resolve. She would save Lucy-san no matter what. Then she remembered the reason for her trip.

"Natsu-san! When you're done, I need your help with the operation! Lucy-san needs your support…" The door banged open a second time, startling her. Natsu rushed out, fully dressed, and grabbed Wendy's tiny hand, pulling her along as he ran toward the sound of Porlyusica's complaining voice.

"Come on, what are you waiting for!" He smiled again at her. Wendy thought numbly that she would do anything for that smile.

* * *

Erza looked at the mutilated carcass in disgust. The smell of decay was overwhelming. She turned to Grey, who had just finished his story and was leaning heavily against Juvia, his legs bound by temporary ice splints. "You're saying Natsu did this?"

He nodded slowly. "I wouldn't believe it either, if I hadn't witnessed it myself."

Erza glanced back at the body, noting the scorched, split skin. Her mouth hardened into a line. She could not imagine the caring, silly pink-haired boy doing _that_ to anything. Then again… His bond with Lucy might have driven him to madness.

She turned on her heels. "We're leaving to go get Grey healed."

* * *

_Natsu!_

Lucy was delighted. Glowing brightly as he stood in front of her, he chased away the darkness like a torch.

"Yo, Luce!" He grinned as he flashed her a half-assed salute. She couldn't help but grin back, his infectious smile jumping to her lips even as tears threatened to fall. "You're smiling in a creepy way," he commented, making her laugh.

She glomped him as they laughed together. _I thought I'd never see you again!_ The tears fell, shining in his light. His warmth felt so much like life, compared to the deathly cold dark. He held her even closer.

"You'll see me again, and again, and again, even if you don't want to anymore, because you will pull out of this and you will live!" Lucy looked up at his face and met his intense onyx eyes. Somehow, his words strengthened her more than anything. She breathed in his scent of smoky woods and sighed contently, nestling against his collarbone.

_Natsu, don't ever leave me, okay? _

He smiled. "I'll always be right with you right here." He held her at arm's length and tapped his chest, signaling at his heart. He kissed her forehead softly and let go of her. "I'm only a thought of yours. But the real me is in real life, waiting for you to come back." He looked her in the eyes, his mouth twitching downward. "Please come back to me, Luce. I can't imagine living without you. I love you." A soft whisper in the silence.

She nodded silently as he faded away slowly. Their hands touched one last time and he was gone. This time, though, she didn't cry or whine. She wiped away her tears. When the darkness was back she stood tall and strong, with determination in her eyes and the thought of the one she loves in her heart.

_I will live_, she said to herself as the darkness brought on a series of pain and torture she'd never experienced. As she screamed, Lucy knew that there was a light at the end of this dark tunnel. Her light.

_Natsu._

* * *

Natsu hated seeing his nakama in pain. However, when he saw Lucy in pain, he felt something akin to anguish.

Watching her writhe in pain as the bed covers twisted around her body was like being stabbed repeatedly in the chest. He couldn't breathe; he couldn't move. All he could feel was her agony, the agony that he caused. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Wendy, tears streaming down her face as she worked her magic, and Porlyusica, whose face was scrunched up unpleasantly. Charla sat on another bed, seemingly deep in thought.

"Please come back to me, Luce. I can't imagine living without you. I love you," he managed as he held her hand. She seemed to calm down a little at his voice, but continued to twist and turn. He brushed away a blonde lock that was plastered to her forehead with sweat. He stared at her face, so vulnerable but so strong at the same time. He'd always loved how she looked in battle. He bent down and kissed her forehead.

She stilled suddenly. He pulled away, startled by the abrupt change. Her eyebrows unfurrowed slightly as he felt her grip on his hand tightened. He smiled endearingly as the blonde. She was pulling through.

After a while, Wendy lowered her arms, panting. "It's… done…" Porlyusica was breathing harshly too. "We suppressed a small area of her brain… There shouldn't be any permanent damage…" The witch turned to her bedroom. "I need some rest."

Wendy sighed heavily. "I need to sleep…" Charle leapt off the bed and caught Wendy as she collapsed.

"I'll take her back home. You should stay here with Lucy," the feline said, her eyes filled with worry as she gazed at the small girl. Charla managed a small smile before taking off with Wendy in her arms.

Natsu sat by the bed, watching Lucy's eyelids move slightly as she dreamed. He wondered what she was seeing. Her familiar vanilla scent was back, replacing the smell of death that had lingered around her while she was unconscious. He breathed deeply and sighed. She was back. His eyes wandered to the open window as he noticed that it was now dark. His eyelids felt heavy after the exhausting day.

He lay down next to Lucy, figuring that she wouldn't mind if he took a short nap beside her. He fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.

* * *

The girl woke up in a strange place with a strange man in her bed and a killer headache.

The man—_no_, boy- had pink-hair (_Haha PINK HAIR!_ She thought), a good-looking face and was snoring gently. _He looks so cute when he's sleeping._ Somehow, she felt like this happened quite often and felt no need to wake him up. She figured that she should leave this alien place and go home, but felt a pang in her heart at the thought of leaving him alone. _Where is home?_ She wondered, before realizing that she didn't even know who she was. She freaked out.

"Pinky! Hey Pinky!"

Natsu woke up slowly when he felt someone poking his face. "Luuuccccccyyyyy… Lemme sleep a bit longer…" He whined, drawing out the syllables. Suddenly, realization hit him in the face like a ton of bricks. He jumped up and hugged the blonde. "LUCE! You're awake! I missed you so much! I'm so sorry for dragging you on that mission! You got-" He stopped at the look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"What's WRONG?" She yelled, making him wince. "Where am I? Who are you? Who the Hell am _I_?!" She shook him off.

Natsu looked at his nakama and gulped. "Who… am… I?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. Who are YOU?"

Natsu felt his heart jump to his throat. "You're Lucy… and I'm Natsu…?"

She stared at him, squinting. "Sorry, but I have no idea who you are."

He felt his heart crack a little bit.


	4. The Reunion

**Hi! I'm back! I'm so so so sorry for being a liar! i know I said I would update in August, but I was really busy... Please forgive me... **

**Okay yeah I know you're probably thinking 'oh god not another stupid apology authors note' but I'm actually sorry! *sniff***

**Anyway, I sped things up a little! Less rambling (although there's still a lot) and more flow! :) Please review and tell me if it was better than before! **

**Enjoy! (If you can, because I realize that this is terribly dull writing and I made Natsu sorta OOC... too heavy... *sigh*)**

* * *

The two sat in a mess of bed sheets, face to face in silence, with him feeling awkward and her in contemplative silence.

* * *

"_Okay, so why can't I remember anything?" She demanded, glaring at the pink-haired guy who shrank back a little. She had calmed down a little after talking for a bit, but she was still in an aggressive mood. She now knew who she was, where she was, who this guy was, and some bits and pieces the guy carelessly mentioned. But she was still one very confused girl._

"_Erm. Yeah, that's kinda my fault…" He scratched the back of his head. "I, uh, tookyouonansclassquestandthenIsortafailedandGraythatbastardgotknockedoutandyouhadtofightthedamnChimeraandyougothurtandthen-" He took a deep breath and continued softly, "And then you shielded me from an attack and got poisoned. You almost died, but you didn't!" He smiled brightly, but she noticed a shadow in those eyes that didn't quite match the smile. She blinked and it was gone. From their previous conversation, she'd figured that this was a childish guy who wore his heart on his sleeve and his emotions on his face, but right now, his thoughts were unreadable behind that fake grin. Lucy stared hard at him until he looked away from her intense look._

"…_And so I'm alive, but memory-less?" She was exasperated. How could this guy say it so lightly? These are her freaking memories he just dismissed! _

_The grin dropped at the edges, turning into a grimace. "You… shouldn't have…" He glared at the bed, like he was trying to burn holes into it. His eyebrows furrowed. "You shouldn't have saved me." Those eyes suddenly turned toward her. They were so… hard and cold, so unlike the boy whom they belonged to. She noticed with a chill how dark they were. "I was weak and useless, and," he chuckled mirthlessly, "I was supposed to protect _you._ What a joke." Natsu scoffed scornfully. His hands clenched and unclenched, until there were nail prints in his palm and his knuckle were white. That shadow was there again, lurking in the depth of those onyx eyes. _

"_Hey, quit staring at me like that, ya weirdo!" Suddenly, that sunny grin was back._

_She didn't reply. _

* * *

Natsu looked out the window, trying not to breathe in that distracting vanilla scent. Usually he loved it, but now it only reminded him how close he had been to losing her completely. He sighed and wondered how Happy was doing. Mira probably made him fried fish or something to eat. His stomach yearned for food and protested loudly.

Too bad he wouldn't be going home for a while.

* * *

The silence seemed to stretch on forever in the room, just hanging there, like a curtain separating the two. He hated it.

"Hey Luce…"

Her outstretched hand brushed his cheek. She watched him flinch away, as if he'd been burned by her touch. A flicker of surprise flashed across his boyish features, and then he smiled again, this time for real. She could see the genuine light shining in him. _That light, _she thought, _will chase away all darkness._

She tried again, and this time he didn't move away. Instead, he let her touch his face and cup her tiny hand under his cheek. Lucy marveled at his warmth as they shared an intimate moment together. Honestly, she didn't know what came over her, but she had a nagging feeling in her belly. His dark eyes searched her face with an inscrutable expression that she knew she probably mirrored.

Suddenly, he grabbed her hand, making her jump in surprise. She could swear she heard that nice, quiet moment break in pieces. She blinked stupidly as he beamed at her childishly. "Haha! You should have seen your face, Luce!" He looked triumphant as he pulled her hand into the air and waved it around ridiculously.

"Why?"

The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it. Her voice was rough, as if her silence had been years long and not mere minutes, and her voice had become unused. He froze and looked at her real hard.

"Why what, Luce?"

_Oh, you know what I'm talking about, Dragneel. _She returned the look evenly, even though she already felt tears prickling in her eyes.

"Why you're leaving." It wasn't a question, just a statement. The truth stated simply. Lucy had to wrench those words out of her mouth, but they came out slowly and smoothly. Two can play the faking game.

Why was she feeling so attached to this stranger? He was just a boy she knew, yet didn't know; just another part of this joke that was her life. But, she supposed it was fate or whatnot, that pitted them together. She felt such a strong connection to him. She was sure they'd been close before. She was sure that she cared for him. Why else would she lay down her life to save his?

He dropped her hand and ran his hand through his messy pink hair. He breathed out heavily and closed his eyes. His shoulders slumped and he suddenly looked ages older. When Natsu opened his eyes again, she could see no deceit; no veil to separate them. Only the weary truth of the decision he'd made already shone like a diamond unearthed from dark, dank soil.

"So you know, huh." He sighed, smiling tiredly. "Figures. Only you would know. You know me too well." He gazed at her with dull eyes. "Yeah, Luce. I'm leaving. I need to train and get stronger, so you won't get hurt again; so I can protect my nakama…" He looked pensive and distant. "I've been offered a chance to… become more powerful," He chose his words carefully. "And I'm going to take it."

Now the tears were starting to blur her vision. She turned away and wiped them away with a trembling hand. "You could… train with… Fairy Tail…" She said cautiously. He had told her about the guild and about the insignia engraved onto their skin.

He shook his head. "It would be too dangerous." He looked sad but determined. "This is going to be a solo journey."

"But…"

She was cut off suddenly when he put a finger to her lip to silence her and leaned in _real_ close so that their foreheads were touching. She suddenly had a flash of memory and knew that he did this often when she needed comforting.

Her eyes were wide and over-bright, and it was driving him crazy. He could smell the salty tears on her cheeks and he wiped them away with his other hand. She looked so vulnerable, like when she woke up from nightmares and clutched for him beside her in a fumbling mess. He decided not to think about that. She made him weak. He had made his decision and would stick to it.

"Luce, don't cry, okay? I'll be back. I'm just going for some training. I promise I'll come back." He smiled, and watched her relax visibly. She could feel the words vibrating in his chest.

"Hey, smile! Let me see those teeth…" Lucy's mouth twitched a little. "You need help? Okay, there you go!" He pulled the corners of her mouth upward with his fingers, contorting her face into a grotesque leer. He made a face. "Ugh, Luce, you gotta work on that smile." She giggled and stuck her tongue out at him. Natsu grinned and started to tickle her.

They rolled around, laughing, on the bed, until Natsu caught a whiff of a scent he knew so very well. He froze like a statue.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, crawling away from him.

"Erza's here."

* * *

Erza Scarlett was very, very angry.

How dare that delinquent think that he can get away with the same thing twice?! And right under her nose as well! The more she thought about it, the more she fumed. How dare he put Lucy into danger? If anything happened to her…

There will be Hell to pay, Natsu Dragneel.

* * *

Lucy watched him leave.

She watched him until he was just a tiny dot in the distance and disappeared entirely from her view. Then she slid onto the floor hugged the scarf around her neck. She touched the spot on her forehead where he'd planted a kiss as she blushed again. Who knew when he would be back? Now she was alone again.

She only hoped that her arriving rescuers weren't as bad as Natsu had made them out to be.

"DRAGNEEL, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN WALKING!"

Lucy shuddered. Was this the Erza monster who could knock over mountains and eradicate towns? She crawled into the closet and decided that she was probably safer there.

The door slammed open and heavy footsteps thudded into the house. She could hear someone protesting loudly about how noisy and stupid humans were from another room. Hushed voices followed the loud and demanding one, the owner of which was evidently out for Natsu's blood.

The footsteps grew closer. From the voices she heard, Lucy figured that there were four people- the scary Erza, a soft-spoken girl, a gruff male, and an overly-polite girl.

"Natsu… WHERE ARE YOU HIDING? I SEE YOU ALREADY!" This was followed by the sound of a whip cracking.

Lucy hugged her knees to her chest. Natsu wasn't kidding when he said Erza was a monster… Darn, she should have run away with him when she had the chance!

"Salamander's gone already." The gruff voice of a man sounded, followed by some sniffing sounds. Lucy almost peed herself. This guy could smell people?!

"Hey, Lucy, you're like a ray of light in the darkness. Your beauty blinds me even with these glasses… So, what are you hiding from, beautiful?" A voice whispered beside her ear.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She swore she had a heart-attack.

The closet doors were thrown open and Lucy leapt into the arms of an armoured woman, all the while gasping about a boogeyman and waving a shaking finger at the closet, where Loke the lion stood chuckling.

Erza, even in her fury, found this little amusing. She cracked a small smile.

"Lu-chan! I-" Levy was cut off by Gajeel placing a hand over her mouth. She looked up, confused, but his eyes were not on her.

Lucy suddenly froze. She patted the woman holding her. All she felt was hard metal. _Armour._ She looked up. _Flaming red hair. _"Do you, uh, happen to be Erza Scarlett?" She croaked, suddenly more scared than ever.

Erza found the question strange, but answered curtly in the affirmative and moved on to the more important matters at hand. "Where is that pink-haired imbecile?"

Lucy hopped out of her arms and scrambled to the other side of the room, much to the rest of the gang's amusement. "Natsu left already-"

"WHAT?!" Erza seemed shocked. "Natsu?" She eyed Lucy's scarf suspiciously. "He gave it to you?"

"Yeah. He said it was a promise between us." Lucy eyed the garment fondly and nuzzled it. It smelled like smoke and fire; not the kind that kills and hurts, but of family and hearth. "He promised to come back when he was stronger."

"Well, he can go train after he's taken his medicine," Erza growled as she moved toward the door, only to be blocked by Lucy. There was such a difference between her demeanor now and just seconds before, that even Erza was taken back. There was a light in the girl's eyes that warned of what she could do, and what she _would _do, if anyone should cross her.

"He said that you're a kind person at heart and that you would understand his needing to get stronger," Lucy said slowly and calmly, as if talking to an angry bear.

There was a moment of silence. The two girls looked at each other, a battle of wills that the blonde won. Erza looked away, muttering darkly, "but if he ever does this again…"

Lucy rushed forward and hugged the red-haired girl. "Thank you, Erza! You know, you're not as bad as he said you'd be! I had the impression that you would be a monster, but you're actually a pretty, kind girl." Erza patted the blonde on the back awkwardly while thinking about her curious comments. Could it be?

"Lucy." She looked said girl in the eye. "What happened to you?"

The blonde looked down at her feet. "I dunno," She answered truthfully. I woke up next to Natsu," Juvia gave a small cry when she suddenly remembered Gray was inside her and released him, sputtering, wearing only his boxers. The bluenette apologized vehemently. "and we talked a bit." Lucy blushed, remembering the small kiss on the forehead. "And then he left and you came." She fingered the scarf again, Erza noticed. "Ya know, he was really scared of you!" Lucy giggled, earning an amused look from the red head.

"WHAT?!" All heads turned to look at Gray, who wobbled on two crutches made of ice, incredulity written plainly on his face. Juvia facepalmed and turned away, embarrassed by his sudden outburst. "That flame head ran away?! I'm gonna-"

Erza walked calmly over and smashed his head against her armoured chest, effectively silencing him. Juvia caught his limp form as he fell, glaring at Erza for leaving a bump on his head. _Not for, _Gajeel thought snidely as he let Levy run to Lucy with a cry of 'Lu-chan', _actually knocking him out._

The rest of the afternoon was spent fawning over Lucy and her memory-loss. All of the mages swore one way or another to make Natsu pay, but were all genuinely relieved that Lucy was alive and doing well. Loke, who had popped out from the Spirit World, handed Lucy her keys and proceeded to shower her with compliments as she shuffled away cautiously. She didn't feel quite well enough to summon her spirits yet, so she put the keys in her pocket for another day. Gajeel tried to look nonchalant about it, but Levy's enthusiastic abandon rubbed off on him after a while, though the "shrimp" kept on trying to show Lucy things she already knew. Juvia was quite suspicious at first- "Is this a ruse to get her hands on Juvia's Gray-sama?"- but warmed to Lucy considerably after a while, proclaiming that they could be possibly great friends now that the blonde no longer remembers how attractive Gray is, to which everyone sweat-dropped. Erza was also in good spirits, though she often muttered crossly about Natsu getting away. Gray was carried off to Porlyusica's care (and onto him everything was blamed) and had to clean everything up at the end, cursing colourfully all the while.

"Lu-chan, this is a _table_!"

"I know, Levy-chan! I KNOW!"

It was nightfall when they went back to the guild, Lucy now comfortable with the gang once more as she had been before her amnesia.

Memories could be forgotten, but family is forever.

* * *

"So you've decided?" Natsu wanted to punch that stupid smirk off his face. _His_ stupid smirk. He grits his teeth instead.

"Yes." He held out his hand to the _other_ Natsu.

"It's a deal."

* * *

**How was it? Sorry I left it with a sort of cliffhanger, but I will update soon (as in tomorrow, or the day after) so you wont have to wonder long! ^.^**

**Thanks fo reading! **

**-Radish**


	5. Mirajane the Matchmaker

**Hi! Okay this is a really short chapter, I know, but I'm kinda busy today... I'll try to update with shorter chapters, but more often (like every two days or something) as long as the teacher's strike goes on. When i get back to school, though, I'll have to revert back to one long chapter once in a while. **

**Nothing much happens in terms of story plot in chapter. I'm trying to develop Lucy and Natsu's relationship for a couple of chapters.**

**Anyway, please enjoy! (try to)**

**And please review and follow and fav and stuff if you like the story or love NaLu!**

**Thanks!**

**- Radish**

* * *

"WHAT?!"

Lucy was getting so tired of this.

* * *

As soon as she stepped into the guild that evening, she got swamped by the mages of Fairy Tail, all demanding to know how the S-class quest had gone. Even Laxus raised an eyebrow in inquiry. Of course, Lucy could tell them nothing. She didn't even know how it had gone herself. Then, after they were fended off by the fierce Erza (with a lot of punching, threatening, and wrestling), she announced that the resident celestial mage of Fairy Tail has complete and total amnesia as a result of her little escapade.

At first, everyone was incredulous. Makarov nearly fell off his perch in his surprise. Honestly, he had been waiting for all of this to blow over before confronting the troublemakers. He still needed to think of a fitting punishment for them, because, obviously, even _THAT_ had not been enough to teach them a lesson.

But now… things just got a lot more complicated.

A vein bulged on the little man's forehead, and, in an instant, the little man wasn't so little anymore. Lucy hid behind Erza when she saw the giant approaching. Erza was like an impenetrable wall in her opinion, scared of nothing and able to scare everything.

So, when Erza suddenly bowed so suddenly and deeply that Lucy flipped over her back and flopped onto the floor in front of the creepy giant, Lucy was flabbergasted to say the least.

The crowd of people had parted to avoid the guildmaster's wrath as he stomped toward the girl who was rubbing her sore behind on the floor.

"LUCY HEARTFILIA." His voice was like booming thunder, making the blonde shrink back.

"Y-Yeah?"

There was a moment of silence as everyone held their breath in anticipation and fear.

The giant shrank like a deflated balloon into a little old man in a jester suit who held out a hand to her.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

And the party started.

* * *

Lucy was so happy they'd accepted her again. Even though this was just her first time stepping into the guild hall in her memory, her body seemed to know exactly where to go. After a lot of introductions to a lot of weird people, she sat down in one of the stools at the bar. Mira, the bartender, noticed with a smile that the stool she had unwittingly picked was the one she usually sat on. Her smile grew when she noticed the girl nuzzling the white, scale-patterned scarf that was so characteristic of a certain pink-haired dragonslayer.

"What would you like, Lucy?" The white-haired woman asked, smiling kindly at the blonde's pleasantly surprised face as she put a cup of frozen yogurt onto the counter.

"That's all I want! Just what the doctor ordered. Thanks Mira!" The blonde chirped as she grabbed the spoon.

"Are you sure you don't want something… stronger?" Mira wiggled her eyebrows as she put several bottles of alcohol on the counter. She needed to take advantage of Lucy's obliviousness to her infamous matchmaking antics. Maybe the girl would even tell her about what happened between her and Natsu! Mira squealed inwardly as she watched Lucy appraise the drinks.

"Hmm… I guess I'll have a shot of-"

"WHERE'S NATSU?"

The guild fell silent, then exploded again.

"Yeah, where's Natsu?"

"I thought he was in the brawl over there! He usually is…"

"Wait, did he even come back?"

"I don't think I saw him…"

The mutters continued, until Lucy decided to put an end to them. She stood up on the stool and wobbled for a second, before gesticulating and shouting for silence. When the guild was reasonably quiet, she announced that Natsu had gone for solo training. When he would be coming back, where he was, and what he would be doing was a mystery, but- she touched his scarf, earning a few suggestive whistles which made her blush- he promised that he would be back.

"Escaping punishment, THAT'S NOT MAN!" The guy she recognized as Elfman shouted in the contemplative stillness that followed, earning a smack from a pink fan held by Evergreen.

Lucy sighed. "Natsu's not running away. He's…" She thought about her words carefully before proceeding, "He's getting stronger. For all of us. For all of his nakama. That's what he said." She earned a few snickers. Now Lucy was seriously mad. She didn't know why she was defending this guy she barely knew, but these people were calling him a _coward_, and it didn't sit well with her.

A white-haired girl around her age walked up to stand beside her. _Lisanna, I think. _Her eyes were bright and strong. "You know Natsu! He would never run away. He has always stood by us, fought for us, given us hope. He's trying to protect the ones he loves most!" A sidelong glance to Lucy. "He's not _escaping_ ANYTHING!" She spat out the words like they disgusted her.

That effectively shut most of them up.

The two girls shared an appreciative smile and parted. Lucy slumped back down as the crowd dispersed. She felt so worn out… Worse, she had a headache. She lowered her head and breathed in the smoky scent of the scarf, enjoying the comfort it brought. It was like he was actually here with her, with that infectious grin on his face as he joked about silly little things and ate the fire he so loved-

Wait. She sat up straight. How did she know that? She racked her brain for other bits of memories, but found nothing. Sighing, she turned back to Mira, who was frozen with a dreamy expression on her face.

It was kinda creepy.

"Uh… Mira?" No response.

"Hey… MIRAJANE?" She blinked owlishly at Lucy, who had some goosebumps on her arms.

"Lucy!" A feral grin stretched out on Mira's fine features. "I have a little question to ask you…"

Lucy shuddered.

"But, first, drink this." She was presented with a weird-looking, pinkish liquid in a glass.

"Uh, Mira, I don't think…" Lucy gulped.

Mira stared at her with those strange eyes, so contrary to the normally kind barmaid of Fairy Tail. "Drink," she ordered, eyes glowing violet.

The blonde suddenly had a flash of vision of Mirajane as a demon. Oh yeah. Totally possible. She thought it better than to face the woman's wrath, so she reluctantly sipped on the drink. However, Mira was impatient. As Lucy put the glass to her lips, the barmaid tipped the glass into her mouth.

"Hey, what was that for!" Lucy sputtered when she'd swallowed all of the drink, much to Mira's delight.

"Now, Lucy," she smiled evilly, "go bring me your diary."

"What?! No way…" The blonde's eyes suddenly glazed over. "Yes, Master."

Mira watched Lucy leave the guild, walking jerkily, and rubbed her hands together like an evil mastermind. "Why didn't I just do this earlier?" She wondered aloud, "Now I'll finally have her admit that she loves Natsu!"

* * *

Somewhere, a jet of flame demolished a mountainside.

* * *

**Radish: Haha in case you didn't get it, Natsu sneezed. You'll see next time... hehehe...**

**Update tomorrow or the day after! **


	6. Pass the diary

**Hey guys! Okay sorry I am a little late in updating. I know I was supposed to update yesterday. **

**I was writing a Gruvia once-shot that suddenly came to me so, yeah… It's called ****The Tears that Fall in the Snow**** and I'd be really happy if you guys would read it and review/fav/all that shtuff.**

**Well, so this time I wrote a decent length chapter to make up for my lateness.**

**Erm, nothing much happens here, just sort of establishing Natsu and Lucy's relationship and stuff. Mostly fluff. If you don't read it, you won't be missing too much.**

**But I hope you'll read it!**

**Yup, so please review and fav and follow and blah blah blah**

**Thanks!**

**-Radish**

* * *

"Lucy-san! Careful you don't fall in!" The guy on the boat shouted to the blonde, who was walking once again on the edge of the canal.

All he got was a blank stare.

* * *

Mira chuckled as her little slave put the little book she'd been waiting for into her hands. It was too bad subjects couldn't speak when they were under that particular spell, or else she would have gotten the answer she wanted straight from the horse's mouth!

At first, she was worried that the spell wouldn't work while Lucy could not remember where she lived and where she had put her notebook, but it seems that the memories are still intact in her head. _Hmm… Maybe they're only suppressed by magic? _No matter! What's important now was that she had Lucy's secret thoughts in her hands!

The diary was a leather-bound notebook the size of a small novel, with the word _Lucy's Diary_ inscribed in delicate handwriting. Just looking at it sent chills up Mirajane's match-maker spine! _I wonder what deep, dark secrets it holds?_

She looked up and found Lucy still standing in front of her motionlessly, eyes glazed over and arms hanging limp by her sides. With a wave of her hand and a few muttered incantations, the girl marched off to somewhere in the guild, far away from the take-over mage's prying eyes.

"So sorry, Lucy-chan," Mira giggled, not looking sorry at all, "But this is all for your sake."

* * *

Reedus was just quietly humming and sketching the various scenes of everyday Fairy Tail life, like he usually does on these rowdy days. There weren't any missions that he felt compelled to go on, though he was a little short on cash.

Oh well, no one said an artist's life was easy.

_Bump. Bump. Bump._

Reedus glanced up from the curve of Cana's barrel, which he was painting at the moment, to see the guild's resident celestial mage walking repeatedly into a table. She looked very out-of-it.

"Lucy-san?" She paused and turned her head slowly in his direction like a puppet on a string. Reedus froze.

Some time ago, something similar had happened… If only he could place his finger on it. Somewhere, he heard the demonic giggle of a certain Mirajane, who currently looked positively elated.

So that's what happened… He thought that potion was strictly under lock-and-key in Master's office after what happened last time? That woman never learns… Turns out, this guild is full of rule-breakers.

He shook his head disapprovingly and drew a bucket of water on his canvas with his magic brush and proceeded to dump that water onto the head of the spaced-out blonde.

Lucy sputtered indignantly as she was thrown out of her reverie and glared at the exceedingly overweight artist. "What the Hell was that for?" A trail of water ran down her forehead and into her eye, making her even more frustrated.

Reedus flinched back. Lucy had never glared at him like that before… Was this really the same Lucy as before? Her hands were on her hips and she leaned forward intimidatingly, ready to start a fight. He was a shy, peace-loving man, and starting a fight was the last thing he wanted to do.

"N-No, Lucy-san…" He attempted to calm the fuming girl by explaining the situation while painting a large blow-dryer on his canvas. "I was only trying to bring you out of your trance! You were walking into the table over there, an-and I knew the only way to snap you out of it was to wet your head!..." He cringed at how bad that sounded as he put the finishing touches on his blow-dryer.

The girl was dried in an instant, though her hair stuck up in weird directions and her clothes were wrinkled. She looked positively shocked.

"Wow!" She exclaimed, eyes wide and all anger seemingly evaporated. "That's so cool!" Admiration was written clearly upon her face. "So you're an artist, huh? And everything you draw can come to life?"

Reedus nodded, unsure of what to say.

"Can I see some of your art, then?" It was difficult to reject the smiling face of the pretty mage. He nodded again, handing her his sketchbook.

She flipped through it slowly, admiring the art. They looked so real, like her guild mates would jump out at her at any second. There were pictures of Cana and Macao toasting as they grinned, obviously drunk; Erza beating up Gray and Natsu as a squished strawberry cake flew through the air; Levy flipping contentedly through a huge book while Gajeel (who obviously has feelings for the bluenette) observed her quietly. Every brushstroke, every line was perfect, capturing their faces, their smiles, and all those little gestures.

She looked up from the sketchbook to Reedus, who was blushing uncontrollably at the sudden attention. He motioned for her to keep flipping the pages.

At the next page, she froze. There was her, maybe a couple of years younger, holding up her hand triumphantly as Natsu slung his arm around her shoulders in all his pink-haired glory. On her hand was the pink symbol of Fairy Tail, and Lucy looked at her hand fondly. She didn't remember that day, but she could tell that it must have been great. _Was that a blush on her cheeks?_ Her eyes flitted to Natsu, whose smile was so real and alive, that she couldn't resist touching his face in the picture.

Suddenly, she thought she heard his voice, calling her "Luigi" and a vein popped on her forehead. "My name is _not _LUIGI!" She announced, startling Reedus considerably as well as earning a few weird looks from the people around her. She murmured a few apologies and went back to the sketchbook.

A few more pictures passed before she found another picture of her walking beside a little boy, whom she realized with a jolt was the young man called Romeo, and Natsu, who supported a slightly younger version of Macao. Her face stretched into a smile and involuntarily shivered, despite the warmth of the guild.

Next was a picture of Gray, Erza, Natsu, and her making weird faces as they shouted something simultaneously, while the Master stood in front of them as if issuing punishment. Reedus coughed. "That was what happened when you guys went on an S-class quest with Master's permission. You had to do _THAT."_ Lucy wondered what the mysterious THAT was, but Reedus refused to elaborate.

The pictures were breathtaking. She wished that she could sit there forever, just looking at those life-like sketches.

Another picture of her and Natsu caught her eye when she skipped to the back pages. _Were all her pictures with Natsu? _She was lying in an infirmary of some sort with a bandage around her head and her eyes closed while Natsu sat at the edge of her bed with such a heart-wrenching expression of care on his normally carefree face as he gazed at her. His eyes were dark and thoughtful and the setting sun cast a shadow on his face through the window. He was holding her hand with both of his.

She stared at that picture for a long time.

Had he looked at her like that before she woke up this time? She hoped that she was the only one who could bring out that expression of his.

"That was at the Grand Magic Games," Reedus cleared his throat awkwardly. "Minerva wasn't playing fair…" Lucy jumped a bit when she realized that she had forgotten that Reedus was still there. Embarrassed at the thought of having been seen staring at that picture of him and her for so long, she shut the book quickly and handed it back to its owner.

The sudden movement caused a piece of paper to flutter out, and Lucy bent down to pick it up from the floor. The drawing on it depicted Natsu grinning happily with the girl called Lisanna as a blue cat sat on his head. She felt her chest clench and she hurriedly handed the paper back to Reedus, thanking him and then bidding him farewell, flushing again when she thought of the personal moments he had captured with his pen and paint brush. She touched the soft fabric of Natsu's scarf absentmindedly.

_Lisanna, huh._

* * *

Mira hung a sign saying "bar closed" as she chuckled evilly. She couldn't wait to pry into Lucy's personal matters! It was so obvious that Natsu and her loved each other, if only they would just admit their feelings!

They needed a _little_ push from Fairy Tail's official matchmaker.

She hurried to the library and shut the door. Mira had a job to do, and she needed some silence and quick planning to do it. She found a comfortable-looking chair and sank into the soft seat, opening the diary in her hand.

It instantly enlarged and grew to twice its original size, both in volume and area. Mira silently applauded Lucy for shelling out the money to buy an enchanted diary. It was pretty expensive! Then she chuckled evilly about the trusting nature of her blonde friend for not even bothering to put a lock on her diary.

She flipped to a random page:

_You know, Natsu's a really sweet guy. _

_I'm really sick today, so I couldn't go attend the celebrations at the guild and see the famous Magnolia rainbow sakuras. Up till now, I was honestly very disappointed, but now I'm writing as a sakuras tree is floating by my window! God, it's so beautiful. I want to write something poetic about the tree, but I'm actually more touched by the guy who did this for me._

_Only Natsu would be so stupid. _

_He's probably gonna be in so much trouble tomorrow, but he did it anyway! Aww…_

_I think… He only did this because we're partners and _nakama_, but I'm really glad that he cared enough to uproot a tree for me. I wish he would see me as something more, though._

_He's so brave and kind and warm to everyone around him without even trying to be, even to his enemies. I wish he'd realize that-_

"Who's there?" Mira stood up abruptly and looked around warily.

A dark looming figure stepped out of the shadows. "Bunny-girl's not gonna like that," he smirked as he chewed on a crowbar.

"GAJEEL?!" Mira was incredulous. "You're in the library?"

The man winced. "Hey, keep it down! I can't have this ruining my image." He looked around. "Yeah, I come here sometimes, 'cause it's quiet. But that book," he pointed to the diary, which Mira was hugging guiltily to her chest, "that book has bunny-girl's smell all over it. Gihihi…" Gajeel smirked triumphantly. "Don't tell me it's her diary?" Mira gaped at him. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, I wonder what she'll think when she finds out?"

_Blackmailing?!_ The bar-maid glared at him, not backing down. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Gajeel crossed his arms, pretending to think about it. Then his eyes glowed red and he grinned at the take-over mage with all his sharp teeth showing. "I want a duel. Right now. The demon versus the iron dragonslayer!"

Mira couldn't help but giggle at him. Of all the things he could have asked for… A duel! "Sure, sure, Gajeel-kun." She nodded pleasantly. "Let's take it outside, shall we? Wouldn't want the library to get busted. _Levy_ wouldn't be so pleased!" The way he tensed at the girl's name was so cute! _Well,_ the demon decided. _I'll get them together someday…_

She found the corner of a near-by bookshelf filled with Shoujo manga (Who reads those?!) and squeezed the diary into its ranks before following Gajeel out of the room and announcing a fight. Ever since she'd gotten back into fighting, lots of people have been asking the normally mild-tempered bar-maid for duels. She was actually quite enjoying the fights.

Cana, on the other hand, enjoyed the income. Everyone knew that she ran a betting booth in the guild, where anyone could bet on anything from couples to duel results. She hollered loudly for better to assemble around her, and soon she was happily stuffing jewels into her empty alcohol barrel.

"Mira-chan and Gajeel!"

"Oh, this is gonna be great!"

"Ha! My money's on Mira!"

"No way! Look at Gajeel!"

And the entire guild filed outside to watch.

* * *

Levy rinsed her hands and dried them with a cloth before fixing her hair and then stepping out of the lady's room. She stretched and looked around, but it seemed the guild was empty. _Where did everyone go?_ Beer mugs and little pieces of paper were strewn all over the floor around the table where Cana usually sat. _Oh… Another duel._

Just imagining the deafening cheers and the battle cries gave her a headache. After an exhausting day of partying, she yearned for the quiet company of books, so she went into the library and sank into, unbeknownst to her, the same comfortable chair that Mira had sat in just some minutes ago. Levy massaged her temples after just a few minutes of reading her huge volume on the ancient languages. Normally she would be completely immersed in the book by now, but perhaps she was just too tired to concentrate today.

She stood up and glanced around guiltily before tiptoeing to the manga sections. Shoujo was her secret love, even if reading those did not bring her any literary satisfaction. The good-looking guys and the lovey-dovey plots made her giddy and always sufficed as an alternative when her thick books simply would not do. If anyone caught her reading manga, however, her reputation as an intelligent, sophisticated girl would dissipate!

As she pulled the new volume of _Maid-sama_ out of the shelf, she noticed that something was out of place. Why was there a leather-bound book in the midst of those pink paper-backs? Curious, she pulled the notebook out, to be greeted by the words _Lucy's Diary._

She stared at it for a while, debating whether or not to read it! Ohhhhh, The temptation to read what even her best friend would not tell her was overwhelming! But at the same time, she knew that it was a wrong thing to do, and the good girl part of Levy simply would not allow it.

_Well… Just one entry couldn't hurt… _No! This is private! _But you want to know, don't you? What does Lu-chan think about every day? _Yeah, but that's her business… _So you do want to know. Just one page!_

The devil won over and Levy felt the guilt eating into her as she opened the magical notebook and started reading a random page:

_I told him so many times to not climb in through the window at night! Is my bed really that comfortable?_

_I locked the window last night and then resealed the glass, but he still managed to get in! My question is HOW! He would make a good thief if he decided to switch professions, ya know? Eh, but we all know he's too righteous for that. He's the one who catches the thief all the time._

_Anyway, so I woke up this morning to find him in my bed for the billionth time! When I woke up, he was kinda spooning me (nobody needs to know that except you, D.) so I wriggled out. He just pulled me back again! I managed to twist around so our position wasn't that compromising hehee…_

_I always wonder how he's so warm. Is it just because he's a fire dragonslayer? And he was drooling a little, but he looked so adorable snuggled in my blanket! His hair was sticking up in a really cute way and his expression! So sweet…_

_So I hugged him. Yup._

_And he woke up! I'd always known he was a light sleeper, but the urge just came over me… Anyway, he was like, "why are you hugging me Luce?" So I told him he looked too cute for me to resist._

_And then he grinned at me in that way of his and told me I looked cute when I slept too! I felt like my chest was gonna burst, so I threw him out the window._

_Yeah, smart move. I know._

_He's hopeless. I mean, he does all of this just because he's Natsu and he doesn't have a clue about my feelings for him! He doesn't know that every time he grins my heart leaps! He doesn't understand why I blush when he puts his arms around me. He thinks we're just _nakama.

_I never thought I could hate that word._

_I wonder how Juvia can deal with Gray. She once told me not to give up on Natsu and that rock he calls a head._

_I guess I won't, so I'll probably be an old maid until I die._

"Awww, Lu-chan!" Levy cried as she closed the book. "That… That is so cute!" She sniffed and thought back to all the times when her best friend had denied harbouring any feelings toward the dense dragonslayer. "So you do love him!" Levy closed her eyes and daydreamed about attending Lucy and Natsu's wedding and the day they would walk into the guild, holding hands. She smiled when she thought of how they already acted like a married couple, bickering about the littlest things.

Sighing happily, she held the diary as she twirled around in the library.

Suddenly, she heard the echo of footsteps and voices as the guild started to file back in, discussing the good fight they had just witnessed. Gajeel got his butt whupped, but not before giving Demon Mira a run for her money.

* * *

Cana was the first to swagger back into the guild, counting the money she had just earned when she saw the guild bookworm dash into the library, fast as a speeding bullet. _What's she runnin' from?_ The drinker looked around the guild before finally setting her eyes on a little notebook that was lying innocently on a table. She strolled over, her good mood only growing when she saw what it was.

**Oh no… Cana has the diary! Poor Lucy… I almost feel bad for her. Mwahaha… **_**almost.**_


	7. The Salamander's Return

**Hello there! Sorry for the late update! I have been working on another Miraxus story recently, and kinda forgot about Amnesia for a while.**

**So... I wrote an extra long chappie to make up for it! It's not the best chapter ever, and I am not proud of it, but it is long, and the fillers are over! Finally, something ahppens here.**

**Um, please leave a fav, review, and/or follow for me if you like this and want me to keep going! :) And check out my other stories!**

**-Radish**

* * *

**Amnesia**

The sun was setting, turning the skies over Magnolia a vibrant shade of salmon pink. The shade of a certain boy's hair.

Where was he? She wondered longingly. How was he doing? When would he be back? Lucy only remembered knowing him for little more than an hour, but, oh, how she missed him!

He was her first friend, and he had stolen her mind and heart with that beautiful smile.

* * *

Natsu glanced up at the sky.

The sun was golden as it crept toward the horizon, to disappear for another night, casting the world into darkness. The golden strands of a certain girl's hair came into his mind.

He wondered how she was doing. Was she laughing with her friends, or was she sitting at home writing her novel? He had a sudden urge to go check on her, but resisted.

Why was he always drawn to her like metal to a magnet?

* * *

The blonde replayed the exciting battle in her head. Mira was so amazing and powerful! Her magic was something to be feared and revered. The raw power of her moves just blew her away.

Darkness magic...

Lucy examined the golden keys she had in her hand as she walked with a limping Gajeel back to the guild. He insisted that he did not need any help or support whatsoever, but she stuck by him anyway. _Just in case._

She recognized the symbols on the keys. She was a celestial mage, who relied on her keys and spirits to battle.

For some reason, she felt a little discontented at how weak she sounded compared to Mira, who fought her battles with her own hands.

Leo, the lion, also known as Loke the womanizer, had given her a crash course on spirit summoning and had given her a run-down of all her golden spirits.

* * *

Taurus, the Golden bull.

_"He's a perverted old cow," Loke said. "Doesn't appreciate the process of proper flirting and courting." He tossed his carefully kept mane of ginger hair. "Unlike this bad boy here." He winked at Lucy, and she ignored him._

Aquarius, the water-bearer.

_Loke shuddered. "Beautiful woman, but with a heck of a temper." He tapped his chin thoughtfully, "She's taken already. But I'm not really into fish tails anyway." He leaned forward, "I'm more into blondes." Lucy shoved him away._

Cancer, the Great Crab.

_"Real nice guy, that Cancer." Loke fluffed his mane again. "This stylish cut was from him for free! You used to call him out all the time to do your hair." He thought for a second. "It's kind of annoying how he always ends his sentences with '-ebi', even though he's a crab." Lucy imagined that for a second and smiled._

Virgo, the Maiden.

_Loke grinned devilishly. "You gotta love Virgo. She's so cute and she does whatever you want her to do." Lucy suddenly felt uneasy. Loke just beamed. "And she calls me 'nee- san'! She's great." He nodded approvingly._

Sagittarius, the Archer.

_"Eh, well, he's a funny guy, for sure." Loke chuckled. "His outfit is, just, so amusing! He's a good marksmen and very hard-working." He seemed satisfied with the explanation. Lucy tried to imagine what he looked like, but failing. Half-horse, half-man?_

Scorpio, the Scorpion.

_Loke grimaced. "He's the only one who could compete with me for the ladies out of your spirits. Thank goodness he's already off the market. But of course," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I'm still available." Lucy asked him if he was jealous, completely ignoring his advances. "Pfftt, of course not!" He scoffed. "I almost pity him. He's with Aquarius!" Lucy nodded sagely. Aquarius __was__s apparently one scary woman._

Gemini, the Twins.

_"They have this crazy power, like they can turn into anyone they've touched recently and read their minds!" Loke rubbed his arms, as if he had goosebumps. "And they look like a pair of little aliens. Cute ones, though. If you're into that." _

Capricorn, the Goat.

_"He used to serve your family or something," supplied Loke. "Real nice guy, though a bit tough at times. But his heart's in the right place." He thought for a second. "Seriously, he always wears these shades, like he's a secret agent or something." Lucy imagined a goat with sunglasses and giggled._

Aries, the Ram.

_Loke was serious as he held her key. "Aries is beautiful." The far-off light in his eyes did not go unnoticed by Lucy's observant eyes. "She's kind and strong, though she's actually very fragile. She always tries her best to help her friends." His bangs cast a shadow over his eyes. "She's been through rough times... I'd give up my life for her." He sighed a little. "But that's a story for another day."_

_"Yo Loke! It's been a while!" Grey waved to the ginger from across the guild hall, grinning._

_Loke smiled back, then turned to his master. "Well, guess I gotta go now! __I'll tell you about your silver keys next time. __Maybe he needs woman advice... I can't leave a bro in need." He waved. "Ciao, my beautiful master!"_

* * *

She couldn't wait to summon them. She could feel the magic in her body, like a full container, ready to spill forth when she called upon it. Her fingertips tingled when she touched her keys, as of itching to call out her spirits.

Gajeel grunted beside her and she glanced up at him in surprise. He was tense as he looked away, but not before Lucy caught a glimpse of his cheeks stained pink, and asked, "Uh, have you seen Shrimp around?" He coughed, as if it choked him to say it.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since we left the guild. I think... She said she needed to go to the washroom?" Lucy stroked her chin absentmindedly, as if she had a beard there of some sort.

The man relaxed visibly and muttered something about Levy not seeing him fail so pathetically.

Lucy smiled. Those two would be so good together.

* * *

Mira strolled into the guild, surrounded by her admirers who were fawning over her skill and her beauty in combat. She smiled kindly at all of them, but her mind was occupied with thoughts of a certain stolen diary.

She did feel a _little _guilty about stealing-no, _borrowing-_ her friend's personal journal. But, she kept on convincing herself that it was all for a good cause.

* * *

Levy ran through the library, frantic. Where had she put that manga?! She'd been so preoccupied with the diary that she forgot to put away the manga! If anyone found it...

Oh shit. The diary. Where had she put that?!

Had she left it outside on the table? WHERE EVERYONE WAS?!

She tugged helplessly at her blue hair, succeeding in making it even messier than it already was. What had she done!

Se tried to decide. What was more important? Her pride, or Lucy's secrets?

She only needed to consider for a second.

* * *

Cana flipped through the diary, humming to herself.

Today was definitely a good day for her. She was hugging a barrel of cash while snooping around in someone's personal business and drinking booze. Life was great.

She giggled drunkenly when she got to a part where Lucy was complaining to her diary about Natsu's silly antics. Each complaint was followed by something like a confession that she actually loved everything he did.

It was so obvious that those two had the hots for each other. She always laughed when people came to her, betting that Lucy would end up with Gray, or Natsu would couple with Lisanna.

They were the people who gave her her income.

She hasn't gone on a job for a couple of months already, because she got a decent income just by betting on couples. She thought that Gray and Juvia would hook up eventually, Natsu and Lucy were destined to be together, and personally, she figured Mirajane and Laxus would end up a couple. (Almost everyone agreed that Erza and Jellal were a pair, except a few dissenters who like Gray and Erza.)

Cana hiccuped. She was only half-way through the entry, but her vision was blurring. The words seemed to be swimming on the page, evading her ability to comprehend them. She squinted and tried to make sense of them, failing completely.

She groaned and shut the notebook. She really wasn't a reader type of gal. She was more like a drink-till-you-drop kind of person. And honestly, she liked it that way.

Stretching, she adjusted her barrel/boyfriend so that it was more comfortably ensconced between her legs. Time for some more intense drinking.

* * *

Levy and Mira arrived at the guild hall at about the same time. Levy was panting, her eyes searching for a certain notebook, while Mira stared at the library doors in anticipation.

Then they both saw the little, leather bound diary simultaneously.

"CANNNAAAAAA?!"

Mira froze as Levy screeched the alcohol-lover's name. The guild fell silent.

Said woman turned toward the sound. "Hmmm?" She burped inside her mouth. _God. That felt gross._

Levy somewhat recovered and was by the woman's side in an instant. She turned to the rest of the guild. "Haha... It's nothing much! Don't worry. Keep going guys!" she tried her best to squeeze her face into a smile. Most of the guild turned back to whatever they had been doing before.

Mira tried to get out of crowd she was trapped in, muttering "sorry"s and "excuse me"s as she tried to escape. Eventually she settled on assuming her Satan take-over, scaring everyone around her away, and then hurried to the guild's resident drinker.

"Cana!" Levy cried in a low voice, glancing around her to make sure no one was watching. "What are you doing with Lu-chan's diary?"

"This?" Cana waved the little book around as she teetered on her perch. "Ya talking 'bout this?"

"Yes!" Mira ran over, her eyes wide and her pupils dilated. "That! Give it back!"

Both Levy and Cana looked suspiciously at the white-haired barmaid. "Give it back?" Levy echoed. "But it's Lu-chan's." Cana's head bobbled in agreement as she pointed to the girl's name on the cover.

"I meant... Give it back to her!" Mira tugged at her dress nervously. "I'll give it back to her..." She faltered under their withering glares. "Okay, fine. I borrowed it, but please don't tell her! I'll give you anything you want..."

At this, Levy looked guilty too. "Actually, I found it in the library and forgot that I'd left it on the table... I sort of read a little bit..." She scratched the back of her head uneasily. "And she's my best friend too..." She looked up at Mira. "I guess I'll keep your secret if you don't tell anyone mine?"

Mira smiled. Levy was such a good girl. "Of course, Levy." They both looked at Cana, who was leering at them evilly. They both shuddered a little, and felt that nothing good was ever going to come out of dealing with the sly card mage.

"Well well well..." The scantily clad woman rubbed her hands in anticipation. "What will I want from both of you bad, bad girls? A year's worth of free alcohol from you," she pointed at Mira, "and a dare from each of you." She grinned toothily at them and stuck out a hand. "What do you say? It's a pretty good deal, in my opinion."

Mira groaned. A year's worth of alcohol?! She quickly did a calculation in her head. This girl would drink them dry! But she supposed that she could afford to pay for a few barrels a day...

The dare was what she was really worried about. Who knows what kind of terrible, devilish dare Cana would come up with? She felt the goosebumps erupt all over her arms. But what choice did she have?

She'd stolen Lucy's diary for God's sake! Now she thought about how stupid that had been. She should have just weaseled it out of her.

Mira took Cana's hand and pumped it a few times. "Deal."

Levy did the same, though she felt like she had just signed her life away to the devil.

* * *

"What do you mean by I'm not ready yet?" Natsu glared at his evil twin.

"You're not ready to take on the technique yet." The doppelgänger said flatly. "You don't have enough magic power. You'll kill yourself." It leaned across the table. "You have to train, and I will tell you when you're ready."

Natsu woke up in cold sweat, shivering. He raised his body temperature a little higher until he was comfortable.

Nights were the worst. He was afraid to go to sleep. He ran a trembling hand through his unkempt hair and sighed. Oh, how he missed sleeping beside Lucy on her comfortable bed! He missed her sweet scent and her presence and wondered if she missed him too.

He thought about how she always fit perfectly in his arms, and wondered if she was cold tonight and wanted him beside her.

_No. He was just a stranger. _

_Just a stranger._

The thought hurt him more than he wanted to admit.

He remembered when Igneel used to curl his great tail around him when he was little. It was funny how Natsu hardly thought of his dad nowadays.

"Dad, wherever you are, I miss you. I'm sorry I haven't been looking for you recently, but it's because I've found a new purpose to live for. My nakama, my friends, my family... And this girl..."

The moon crept into the sky ever so slowly as the dragonslayer watched the constellations waltz in the night.

* * *

It was nighttime when Lucy and Gajeel finally returned to the guild. Turns out, he'd broken his ankle but just sucked it up and tried to walk back to the guild, resulting in a very swollen ankle and a whole lot of pain.

She had to admire him for his toughness, but criticized him for his stupidity. He should have just asked for help!

"Lu-chan!" Lucy turned, to be glomped by her blue-haired friend, who was grinning a little too happily. _Almost like she's hiding something._ She dismissed the thought. Her brain pissed her off sometimes, by analyzing too much and looking too much into little things.

"Oh, Gajeel!" The tiny girl cried as she latched herself onto the big dragonslayer and allowed him to lean on her. He looked down, a little surprised at her willingness to act as his armrest. She nodded encouragingly and dragged him off, limping, to the infirmary.

Lucy looked on and thought about how cute they were as a couple, while catching snippets of their conversation. She smiled and felt happy for them from the bottom of her heart.

Cherish the happy times, cherish the memories.

"- so stupid, Gajeel!"

"Hey! Well, I just wanted to-"

"And this is what happens-"

"Shrimp!"

"Humph, get to the infirmary yourself-"

"-Sorry! Sorry! Get back here, Shrimp!"

"ARRRGGHHH!"

_The memories she lost._

"Hey, don't look so down."

Grey stood beside her, his hands in his pant pockets as he watched the bickering soon-to-be couple disappear into the infirmary. Lucy noticed that his pants were finally on his body, and not strewn across the floor like usual.

_And how would I know what 'usual' is?_

"I'm not down! I'm just glad they're enjoying themselves." She looked at the floor beneath her. _Why was everything blurring..._

"Lucy. Look at me."

She shook her head and felt something roll off her chin. The floor was just a brown blob. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and then stared at the salty drops spitefully.

_So damn weak. Always crying. Always relying on others to get stronger to protect her. _

_Coward._

"Stop it." His voice was firm as he grabbed her wrist and spun her to face him. "Lucy, stop."

She nodded silently, but the tears just kept falling. Ran down her cheeks. Jumped off her chin. She hid the lower half of her face in Natsu's scarf.

Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.

Natsu wasn't here, laughing with his friends, because of her. Instead, he was training alone. To get stronger.

Grey put his free hand over his face and blew out, frustrated. "Oh, God, Lucy. Whatever am I gonna do with you?"

"Natsu will be back soon, knowing that flame-brain." Erza strolled over, munching on a slice of strawberry cheesecake. "Want some?"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh, a rough, awkward sound that make her choke a little. Erza patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry, you have us! Are we not your best friends? Am I right?" She banged Lucy's head against her armour in a gesture of affection, succeeding in knocking the girl senseless, as Grey rubbed at a sore spot on his head.

As Lucy fell to the floor, Juvia rushed over with a box of tissues for the poor girl who no longer needed them.

"Juvia." Said girl froze and slowly looked up, meeting the gaze of her beloved and instantly turning a shade of crimson to rival Erza's hair.

"Y-Yes, Gray-sama?" Grey swore he saw steam coming out of her ears.

"Uh, can you take Lucy to her apartment? She's had a tough day, what with the amnesia and all the partying. She probably needs some rest." He looked out at the night sky. "It's getting late anyway."

Juvia nodded enthusiastically. She would do anything for her Gray-sama. She picked the unconscious girl up easily and skipped out of the guild hall, her mind already filling with crazy fantasies.

Erza smiled kindly as she watched her friends leave, and wondered how Jellal was doing on this beautiful cloudless night.

* * *

When Lucy came to, she noticed that it was late. She shivered a little and thought about how cold it was tonight. She really should close that window.

The moon hung like a brilliant lantern in the dark sky while stars sparkled and winked at her from their scattered positions in the universe.

She sat up and stretched, feeling tired but not sleepy, and felt something furry touch her hand. Looking down, she realized that it was a cute little blue cat, curled up in a ball as it slept peacefully.

She ran her hand over its soft fur and noted with a small smile that the same mark that adorned her right hand was also engraved on its back.

_Natsu's mark was red._

The thought just jumped out at her. And she buried her face in his scarf again. It was like he was actually here. _So warm._ Just the thought of him brought a sort of warmth to her chest. Warm and fuzzy.

She imagined his smile, his figure, his hair, his face, his eyes. Those wonderful eyes that sparkled when he was happy, clouded over when he was sad, and shone from within when he fought for his friends.

Lucy stared at the moon and the stars. Was he also looking at them tonight? She reached out a shaking hand to touch the sky, to grab a star to grant her wish. Her eyes found the constellations that somehow survived the amnesia.

She stared at her outstretched hand and the Fairy Tail symbol. She loved Fairy Tail. She loved the people, the magic, and that spirit and fire everyone had in their eyes, burning bright.

She thought about what she wanted to do. She thought about all that she had to cherish, love, and protect.

Her friends and her family. Everyone she loved.

Lucy tucked the little blue cat in, as it muttered something about fish. She smiled fondly and made sure that it would not be cold.

She fingered her keys and looked out the window one last time.

She would leave it open tonight. Just in case.

* * *

"Good morning, Happy!" The blonde pulled apart the curtains, letting in a beam of soft morning light.

"Lushiiiii... I'm still sleepy..."

"Oh, get up, ya lazy cat! Today's a beautiful day! Look at that sun..." She took a deep breath as she threw open the window, relishing the crisp morning air. The sun reflected off the water in the Canal, and turned the ripples golden.

Today she was going on a mission with Happy and she was going to rock it. She just knew it! She had a good feeling about today.

Stretching, she grabbed some clothes and went into the washroom to shower. She let the hot water run down her body and started humming random happy little tunes.

It has been two months since she woke up with amnesia. She'd finally gotten back into the rhythm of her old life, and she was loving every second of it. She had dedicated herself to getting stronger so she could help her nakama more in battle and become more independent. In fact, she had been going on many difficult quests with only Happy! Lucy could now summon three spirits without breaking a sweat, and four if she really tried. Capricorn's training had really paid off, and all her spirit friends also tried their best to grow stronger with their master.

But she still woke up alone every morning, feeling cold and snuggling with Happy (he moved in with her because he didn't want to sleep alone in Natsu's house). Maybe that was because she always left the window open, hoping every night before she went to sleep that she might have a certain visitor. The longing had faded into a dull ache in her chest, a hole that she tried to fill with the guild.

She had somehow become the guild matchmaker, because Mira was too busy spending time on S-Class missions (she was NEVER touching one of those again!) with her now-boyfriend Laxus Dreyer. Cana often bragged about how she had gotten those two together after she dared/threatened the white-haired beauty to kiss the lightning dragonslayer. Lucy thought those two were perfect for each other.

Through hardwood and perseverance, she had single-handedly brought Levy and Gajeel together with a few well-placed traps and a lot of strategy. God, those two were stubborn. Gajeel kept trying to act cool and gruff, even when his face was flaming red. Levy was a little more willing to cooperate, and that made things easier. But it was so worth it! Lucy knew that they _belonged_ together!

Her mind was wandering as she stepped out of the shower, shivering a little as she wrapped her towel around her body. That felt so good. She ran a brush through her wet hair and was reaching for her blow dryer when she heard Happy call out.

"LUSHIIIII!"

She ran out of the washroom. "What is it?"

Happy pointed to the canal. There was something floating down it, bathed in the golden light.

It looked like a body.

Lucy was down the stairs and out the front door in a heartbeat. All she felt was adrenaline. Maybe the poor guy was still alive! There wasn't a second to lose.

When she got to the riverside, did she notice that the body had a head of salmon pink hair as it bobbed in the gentle waves.

"Natsu?"

"NATSU?"

"NATSU, WAKE UP!?"

She tried to pull him up onto the embankment, but he was heavy like a rock. And she remembered that he was all muscle. And muscle was heavy.

"Happy! HAPPY! HELP ME! It's Natsu!"

The cat was a streak of blue as he hauled his father/best friend onto dry land. Both had tears in their eyes from fear of finding him again just to lose him.

"NATSU!... WAKE UP..." Her shoulders shook as she felt fear and anxiety well up inside her.

What was she supposed to do?! Her mind was blank. Mira had taught her a variety of first-aid techniques, but she couldn't remember a single. Fucking. One.

She ripped off his soaked vest and put her head to his chest and was relieved to hear his heart beating, albeit weakly and at irregular intervals. Her eyes flitted to his shoulder, where his normal skin had been replaced by a small patch of red scales. _Like when he uses Dragon Force._ She'd ask him later. If he ever woke up.

She hovered her hand over his mouth to see if he was breathing.

He wasn't.

She felt her pulse in her ears, blocking out all other sound. Happy was wailing, but his thin voice sounded too far away. All she could hear was _Ba-Dump. Ba-Dump. Ba-Dump._ The bass drove her mad. Her hands found her way into her wet, tangled hair, tugging and pulling in desperation. Her towel felt loose around her chest, but she couldn't be bothered to fix it.

What to do?

What to do?

WHAT TO DO?

Then, one thought jumped into her mind:

CPR.

She blushed a little when she realized what that implied. She would have to seal her lips over his... Like a kiss... Lucy hesitated for a second, a split second of decision, and then put her lips over his mouth.

She thought she heard Happy stop crying in the background of the pounding in her head.

She wouldn't exactly say that she'd kissed him. His face was wet and cold and lifeless, mixed with the salt of her own tears as they ran down her cheeks hopelessly.

Natsu was supposed to be a fiery ball of life, with heat and passion burning beneath his skin.

But this Natsu was cold. COLD. Cold like one of those things that you dig graves for, that used have life and laugh and love. She feared for the worst.

She sealed his mouth with hers, pinching his nose with her other hand, and breathed deeply down the throat of the boy who brought her hope. She thought about what she would say to him when he woke up. How she would tell him how much she missed him, and how much she hated him for leaving that day.

His chest rose up with the life she breathed into him, and she parted from his lips, hands locking in preparation for the chest pumping that would follow. She laid them on his hard chest and pumped. The area between his ribs expanded dangerously as she pushed down, but she kept going.

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

_Four_

_..._

At the twentieth push, he coughed, and one of his fingers twitched.

At the twenty-fifth push, he gave a violent shudder and lurched forward, surprising her considerably. Her hands leapt back to her side as she readied herself in battle stance instinctively.

A jet of water erupted from his mouth as he sat up suddenly, Happy taking most of the spray. As the cat sputtered, torn between laughing, crying, and retching, the jet died down to a trickle.

"Ughh..." The boy, water dripping from his mouth, teetered to the side and almost fell back into the canal. Lucy and Happy lunged for him at the same time, fortunately preventing him from drowning again.

They laid him down when he finally stopped retching water from his lungs. His eyes were glazed over, dazed and unfocused, and the rest of his body was heavy and powerless.

Happy clutched Natsu's feet and cried. The blonde cooed nonsense at him while she cried and cried, until her voice was hoarse. "Oh Natsu I am so glad you're back please stay with me don't go swimming in the canal you're finally here again-"

"Luce?" His voice was weak and cracking when he finally spoke. She fell silent immediately.

"Why are you naked? Are you perving on me again?"

She froze and looked down. She was indeed in her birthday suit on a public street. Her towel floated down the river, slowly sinking...

"KYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

_"You're not ready yet." The bastard shook his head, as if in disappointment. "You'll never be ready at this rate."_

_"What did you say?!" A vein twitched in Natsu's forehead. How dare that piece of shit dismiss his efforts so easily? _

_"You're not ready to take on the new power." It hissed at him, slamming a fist on the table, making it tremble in protest. "You're not strong enough."_

_"Fuck you!" Natsu was shaking with rage. Two months has passed, and now it shows up again just to tell him he wasn't ready! "I'll show you I'm strong enough!"_

_"Wait-" There was a note of panic in its voice now, as if it knew what Natsu was going to do._

_The dragonslayer willed with all his power to shut down the dream, grinning triumphantly at the doppelgänger as it faded away._

_"No! You can't-"_

_Oh yes. He could. And he would saw that crappy copy of him what he could do._

_It was draining him of his power, mis magic, his life source. That shitty little demon really wasn't lying when it told him he wasn't ready, huh. _

_His arms felt like they were on fire. Not the pleasant warmth that being surrounded by flames always brought him, but the painful, burning sensation of being bathed in acid. _

_He watched the red scales disappear from his arms. Really, he couldn't maintain this any longer. The world was spinning and spinning, and the ground felt too soft._

_Igneel. Lucy. Fairy Tail..._

_Water. He was drowning._

_Every breath he took was water, every gasp filled in with water. His clothes clung to him like weights as the currents pulled him under._

_Dark._

_Light._

_Dark._

_Light._

_Dark…_

_Fire and water don't mix._

_His body felt heavy, but he could see the pinkish light filtering through his eyelids. He felt the hard, warm ground underneath him, not the cruel coldness of that water. The air was vanilla-scented and fresh, such a lovely smell to him that he could not help but take a deep breath in. _

_Was that salt he tasted?_

_His ears were ringing loud enough to give him a headache. Or was that a high-pitched wailing? He couldn't tell._

_Suddenly, a force pushed down on his abdomen. Damn, that hurt._

_Something rose up from his lungs and rushed to his mouth and nose. By instinct, his body sat up and spewed the stuff out, until there was nothing left. His nose burned and his lungs heaved for fresh air._

_Magnolia? He tasted the morning air, smelling the familiar scent of his city. This was Magnolia._

_He wrenched open his eyes, which felt sealed shut. The first sight that greeted him was…_

_Lucy kneeling on the ground, butt-naked._

_A torrent of thoughts rushed through his mind: relief, surprise, fear, and then pure happiness._

_He was home._

_He willed his mouth to move, and then shortly willed his arms to move to shield his injured ears from the sharp screech that came from the blonde._

* * *

Natsu watched Lucy move around her home as he lay on her bed.

She was fussing around about something or another, trying to make him comfortable. Happy had gone to tell their guildmates at Fairy Tail.

He would have gone himself, but he was somewhat paralyzed, like that time when he fought Hades.

He knew that it was because he'd used up too much magic power, but he hadn't told her yet. He knew that it would only worry her.

She didn't need to know.

* * *

Lucy glanced back at the boy on her bed when she thought he wasn't looking, as she wringed out another hot towel in the washroom.

She was really worried about him. That haunted look in his eyes, the weak state he'd returned in…

"Luce."

She looked up, locking eyes with the dragonslayer. Onyx clashed with brown, and he looked away quickly. Lucy frowned, her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach.

"Yes, Natsu?"

The smile she slapped on her face was fake, but cheerful.

Since he'd gotten back, he hadn't said much and seemed to be in a pensive mood as she cleaned his injuries.

She wasn't strong enough to get him to the guild infirmary, so she did what she could while waiting for her guild to arrive.

"Come here for a sec?"

She walked slowly over, her footsteps seemed much too heavy. The towel in her hand started to cool.

"Look…" His sunken eyes darted around the room, looking anywhere but at her. "I'm sorry that I left you so suddenly, and right after you woke up too-"

"Shhh…" She put one finger over his mouth, and brushed a strand of pink hair from his forehead. Her tense smile relaxed into a real one, and her eyes sparkled. His lips were warm, like they were supposed to be.

Their eyes met again, and this time neither of them looked away. She held his gaze and grinned. Their gaze was like a bridge, and the grin leapt from her mouth to his.

She knelt down beside the bed and hugged him, her hand brushing accidentally against the patch of scales. She felt him tense, then relax into her arms.

"Welcome home, Natsu."

He raised an arm with difficulty and rested it on her back.

"Yeah."

* * *

**Was that good? I'll probably do some editing on this chapter soon to make it batter, but right now I'm feeling pretty lazy. Free blocks at school are BORINGGGG!**

**Leave a review, fav, or follow, will you? Thanksss :)**

**Until next time (no telling when that will be...), then!**

**- Radish**


	8. Dragon Eyes

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 8**

**Hi guys! Thanks so much for the great reviews and the kindness. It really helps and encourages me as a writer to keep carrying on, even through piles of school work and writer's blocks! **

**So here we are at chapter 8! I never thought I would get this far when I started writing this. I think Amnesia will probably be somewhere around thirteen to fifteen chapters, so we still have a ways to go! I promise things will move faster from now on. **

**But... If you're expecting a huge leap in the plot in this chapter, you're wrong! This chappie is mostly NaLu cuteness and little hints to what is actually happening to Natsu. So… Now that Natsu is back in the story, NaLu is back! yay! **

**Btw, my writing style fluctuates a lot, but I swear I wrote everything!**

**I might start a gale soon enough. As soon as i get bored of nalu. Which will be never. Mwahaha. I changed the summary because i was bored. Do you like it?**

**-****Radish**

* * *

Most of the guild squeezed into Lucy's apartment about half an hour later, making a huge racket like usual. The ones who weren't quite inside shoved their way in, while the ones who were shoved them back out. Several small fights of the magical variety had already broken out. Lucy's neighbours closed their windows, grumbling about annoying mages and annoying wizard guilds.

Erza and Gray climbed through the only open window on the block (Lucy's) and plopped down on some chairs in her room like they owned the place. Lucy was downstairs trying to direct the traffic, to no avail, obviously.

"Those idiots are so loud," Gray scowled, picking at his ear. "I think I'm gonna go deaf from their shouting and screaming. It's just flame-brain! It's no big deal." Although the faint smile that wormed its way onto his face said otherwise.

Erza nodded in agreement, her eyebrows furrowing as she considered the best way to deal with the situation. Should she beat everyone up? That'll teach them. Or maybe give a long inspirational speech to them about why they should respect others who share the city? Well, she shouldn't be the one talking. Then she decided that she just didn't give a shit. She'd already destroyed her fair share of cities.

"Shut the Hell up, Stripper." Both mages' eyes snapped to the source of the sound, which came from under a huge pillow on Lucy's bed. Erza thought she saw a tuff of pink hair sticking out from underneath.

"Wha-"Gray sputtered, caught off guard. "You wanna go?!" He stood up and rolled up his imaginary sleeves (his shirt was long gone), preparing for a long overdue fight with his rival.

Erza shot him a scathing glance, effectively silencing the raven, who instead cowered and sunk back into his chair. She walked over to the pillow.

"Welcome back, Natsu."

He hummed from under the pillow, half-heartedly.

A vein twitched on the scarlet-haired woman's forehead, and she "patted" the pillow a little too harshly, earning a pained groan from the boy under it. Her smile was hard.

"I _said,_ WELCOME BACK, NATSU." In a flash, the pillow thumped against the wall on the opposite side of the room, and fell onto the carpet with a muffled thud.

Erza's face fell when she saw her friend's face. Gray cringed.

Natsu's eyes widened with surprise, then squinted as they adjusted to the sudden, harsh light. He grinned at his visitors, but he watched them with wary eyes. His blazing orbs were sunken into dark circles, like the eyes of a man who hasn't slept for days. It was obvious that he'd lost weight, for his cheeks had grown hollow and his skin tone was tinted an unhealthy yellow. His face spoke of hardships and difficult times. They had expected him to jump up, full of energy, as he used to do, but he lay there instead, obviously weak and unable.

But that grin. That grin was the worst.

It was a grotesque parody of the sunny, spirited smile they knew so well. It stretched across that tired face like an gaping wound. The edges of his mouth curved upward with difficulty, as if straining against a heavy weight, twitching downward occasionally. And those eyes! They had none of the fire, none of power, none of the confidence that had once burned bright in those orbs. If Erza had to use one word to describe them, it would have been _dead_. They were dead eyes. Hopeless eyes. Shattered eyes. The eyes of a man who carried too heavy a burden, with no one to share the weight.

"Hey," Natsu croaked as his friends stared at him with that expression of pity. He _hated_ pity. It was useless and demeaning. "Do I have something on my face?"

Gray broke the silence that followed. "You look like shit."

Natsu laughed, a harsh barking that seemed to erupt from his lungs. "You're one to talk!"

"Why you little—"

"ENOUGH!"

Both males shut up immediately when Erza's voice rang out. Her eyes were blazing as she glared at Gray, who muttered a quick apology and looked away. Natsu smirked, until she turned the full force of her glare upon him. The smirk melted off his face.

She walked across the room and picked up the pillow. She smiled a little on the inside when she noticed a chibi version of the flame-eating dragonslayer sewed onto it, along with a label that declared it as "Natsu's pillow". She walked calmly back to his bedside and continued to stare at him in silence. Natsu gulped. The silence was unnerving.

But no one dared to speak.

Then she suddenly slammed the pillow down on his face, earning another muffled pained moan, and turned to leave.

"Let's go." Gray cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing and followed Titania.

Before she shut the door, she hesitated and turned to face the bed. "Rest, and come back to us." She tried to keep her voice strong and steady, but it wavered a little despite her efforts.

He was silent, and she shut the door with an uncharacteristic gentleness.

* * *

They met Lucy halfway down the stairs. She was walking up backwards, shouting to the guild downstairs that she would be right back. She walked right into Erza and spun around.

"Oh, hey!" She smiled warmly. "You've been to see Natsu?" Her eyes searched their faces for a reaction. "I'm just bringing him some food!" She gestured to the paper bag in her hand. Her smile faltered a little, when she registered their expressions. She lowered her arm.

"Don't worry about him, okay? He's probably just tired."

Erza and Gray shared a look and nodded. Gray ran a hand through his messy hair. "Yeah, that's probably it. It's just that…" He looked at Erza again, as if for confirmation. "It's just that I didn't think anyone could change this much in two months."

Lucy put a comforting hand on his shoulder and then continued up the stairs, clutching Natsu's scarf.

"He'll be fine." She whispered to herself.

* * *

"Luce!" His eyes lit up at the sight of her. He was now sitting up, while hugging his pillow. It still hurt to move, but he could muster enough energy for some little tasks. Sitting up was no problem. "I'm starving!"

She grinned happily. It was nice to have someone who waited for her and absolutely wanted her companionship . "I brought you a little something!" She sang, waving the paper bag around.

Natsu took a deep breath. "Mmm! Smoked beef sandwich! And with lots of hot sauce too! Yay! My favourite." He sounded excited, like a little kid on Christmas Day. His eyes greedily locked onto the bag, as if devouring its contents already.

she skipped over to his bedside and opened the bag, taking out two sandwiches. He stretched out a hand, his eyes sparkling. She giggled and tossed the sandwich to him. To her surprise, it landed right on his face.

He grunted and removed the sandwich (wrapped, thank goodness.) with a trembling arm. "Ya know, I haven't recovered my reflexes yet." He refused to look at her as he mumbled, afraid to see that pitying look on her face. Gray and Erza were bad enough, but he wouldn't be able to bear it if Lucy also looked at him like that.

"Haha! Sorry, sorry!" She laughed, her voice like tinkering bells. She seemed completely unaware of his discomfort. She hopped onto the bed and unwrapped her sandwich. He watched her, an evil smirk growing on his face.

"What?" She stared at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, nothing." He looked away, still smirking. "Carry on."

She gave him a look and shrugged, and took a huge bite of her sandwich.

"GAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Her screech trailed off into hacking and coughing. When Natsu looked at her, chortling, her face was blazing red and tears were in her eyes. He could swear he saw steam coming from her ears. She glared at him with murderous intent and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You!" she sputtered, "You KNEW this would happen!"

He guffawed. "YEAH! And it was HILARIOUS! Haha Karma hit you hard does-"

He was silenced by a sandwich flying into him face. This time, however, it was not blissfully wrapped. The hot sauce splattered all over his face.

"It sure does, doesn't it, Natsu?" She inquired sweetly, smiling at him in such a way that he just couldn't find it in himself to retaliate. He was reminded of Mirajane, just before she used Satan Soul. But that way she said his name... It sent shivers up his spine. _Just like that time._

He hummed nonchalantly to her surprise, and picked his sandwich off his face and started to eat it. She snatched the other normal sandwich from his grasp and unwrapped it, watching him cautiously all the while. There was a blotch of red on his nose, and she had to resist the urge to wipe it away. When she was certain that he would not sneak attack her, she began to eat, glancing at the boy occasionally.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever, until she just couldn't take it anymore. "Hey Natsu?"

"Yeah, Lucy?" She realized with a chill that he had not called her by that special nickname. Her heart sank like a rock. He watched the sandwich as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Natsu? Are you mad at me?" She frowned unhappily and watched his reaction. His eyes widened for a second and flickered in her direction. Then he went back to watching his sandwich. He seemed sad.

"Natsu." Her voice was soft and worried as she reached behind her for a tissue. "I'm sorry."

Natsu scoffed inwardly. She had nothing to be sorry about. He should be apologizing. He was going to tell her so and turned to look at her as she turned away. The words died in his throat.

He took the opportunity to watch her. Just for a moment. He watched her turn, taking in the way her hair swept across her back in a fan of gold, the curve of her graceful neck, and the strength of that slender figure.

Just for a moment.

He'd almost lost her. Once he had watched her die and fell upon her corpse, unable to do anything but weep. Twice now, he hadn't protected her. Twice now, she'd nearly flew away on angel wings right before his eyes. This time, she'd nearly died saving his sorry ass.

* * *

_"Natsu, don't look so glum!" She skipped to his side cheerily on the day before the ball after the Grand Magic Games. "It's over now!"_

_He didn't answer her. _

_He kept telling himself that the Rogue bastard was seven years ahead of him; that that was why he couldn't be beat, and killed his Lucy. If he'd been given seven more years, he could have beat him, right? Flames would burn away the shadows, right?_

_Or would shadow smother the flame?_

_He thought that he would never let anyone hurt her, but he had. He thought that he would never lose her, but he had. He thought he would die protecting her, but fate was cruel and turned the tables._

_"Come on!" She tugged on his hand and shot him a smile like a million rays of light that pierced the deep gloom he'd been wallowing in. It was time to move forward._

_To change the __future__._

_Seven years. He couldn't wait seven years. He couldn't lose her. She was his life, his soul, his light._

_And that was when he finally realized that he loved her._

* * *

She turned back, and Natsu looked away. Just a moment. He had his resolve once again.

A gentle pressure on his chin forced him to look up, straight into those brown eyes. She smiled at him, and he watched the corners crinkle and the golden eyelashes that framed those chocolate orbs. She was so close, he felt her exhales feather over his cheeks. She wiped his face with tenderness as he breathed in the sweet scent she breathed out.

She cleaned off that annoying spot of red on his nose and felt him watching her. His gaze was intense, and she willed herself to stop blushing.

But of course she couldn't.

"What's wrong, Natsu?" She asked gently, watching him. "What happened? You're so quiet today."

His brows furrowed, as if remembering something real painful. "Nothing. Nothing happened."

He could tell she didn't believe him when he finally met her eyes. There was something there that was missing when she first woke up. A certain spark that made him think that she'd never lost her memories, that she was still just Luce helping her partner after a mission and not a girl with amnesia taking care of someone she hardly knew.

"Nothing..." his voice trailed off as memories of that horrid pain and that crushing sense of failure swallowed him again. His vision turned black for a second. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Well," She threw the tissue into her wastebasket and stood up. He felt a hand brush away a strand of hair from his forehead, was sorry for the loss of her warmth and company. "Then I guess I'll see ya later, Natsu! It's fine if you don't want to tell me. Just remember that I'll always be here for you if you need someone to listen." He knew she was smiling a sad smile as she turned away.

"Oh, right!" Her footsteps suddenly paused at the door. "I forgot to give this back to you!" her soft foot steps approached the bed again. He felt something cottony and familiar brush against his arm for a second as she unraveled his scarf from around her neck.

_No._

He opened his eyes to look at her, to tell her that she could keep it. He didn't need it anymore.

He opened his eyes and her face morphed into horror.

The scarf fluttered to the carpet with a whisper, a dying butterfly embracing the earth. She couldn't believe her eyes.

* * *

He'd opened his eyes, but his eyes were _wrong. _Natsu's eyes were onyx, a searing charcoal black, but these weren't his eyes. Instead of black, her brown eyes met only flames.

His irises were golden, encircled by blood red, as he looked at her. And his pupils... They weren't even human anymore. They were the slits of a reptile, a black shadow in the burning flames. _A dragon._

He blinked and it was gone, just dull onyx eyes watching her with worry. But that image was forever branded into her mind.

She stuttered something unintelligible and rushed out of the room, breathing hard and trembling. Her hand wouldn't stop shaking, and her legs felt like lead weights. She felt like she had just ran a marathon instead of down the hall. The bass pounded in her head.

Something was wrong with Natsu, and she needed to find out what.

* * *

Natsu leaned over and picked up Igneel's scarf with little difficulty. He was recovering quickly. He dusted his precious scarf off and wrapped it around his neck. These black-out spells were becoming more and more frequent. He'd scared Luce away. Even she had left him.

Great. Just great.

He'd never felt more alone in his entire life. How could he tell his nakama that he was losing the battle for his humanity? How could he tell Luce that he'd traded his soul in a deal with the devil?

The scarf smelled like smoke and vanilla.

And it was driving him mad.

* * *

**Hehe... Guess what happened to him? What's going on with Natsu? Come on, make a guess! It's not that hard.**

**Anyway, sorry for the short chapter. I thought I'd just write it just for fun! Yay, NaLu! For the longest time I could not think of how I would keep this story going. But then I saw thei true that is now this story's cover pic.**

**sorry i didnt realize that the link didnt work! It's thsort org cover now so yeah. IT'S GORGEOUS. Whoever made it is like my hero now. :)**

**See ya next time!**

**-Radish**


	9. We are Family

**Amnesia**

**Chapter 9**

**Hello again! Here we are at Chapter 9! So, I think Amnesia may be longer than expected, because I like stretching stuff out. It may get boring, but please don't drop me! I'm not in a hurry to finish this story... There is a reason why I changed the genre from adventure to hurt/comfort! I just write wayyy too much not-quite-fluff.**

**Anyway, just a note for those who didn't see the last chapter after I edited it to say that I am sorry that the link I posted didn't show up (I really should have checked afterward) and that the picture that inspired me is now the story cover for Amnesia! I am torn between looking for a coloured picture so the story looks more appealing, and keeping this gorgeous grey one.**

**So here is chapter nine**** of Amnesia! Thanks to those who reviewed. (should I start doing shout outs? It seems like most people do them?) Seriously, I love you guys. Thank you for inspiring me and helping me write this.**

**-Radish**

* * *

He hadn't seen them for so long, so why wasn't he enjoying their visits?

They threw themselves upon him, hugging and smiling, their warm bodies pressed against him, so why did he feel so cold?

Why did he plaster a smile on his face as they chatted about all that had happened, laugh when they laughed, when he actually wanted a private place to waste away?

When they left, they laughed and jested, always telling him to hurry up and recover. He always promised so and laughed along, waving cheerily as they shut the door.

But that laugh was sharp around the edges, a harsh laugh; a knowing laugh. Like a blade, it cut him apart. Bit by bit. Piece by piece.

He was bleeding, bleeding to death. He was dying under that hollow, grinning mask. Could no one see his torture? Could no one feel his pain?

Huh.

Guess not.

* * *

Laxus had just left, smirking, when two more dragonslayers walked in.

"Natsu-san!" With a huge leap, Wendy glomped the boy. He patted her awkwardly while suppressing a groan. She was getting heavy like Luce!

"Ah, Wendy! You been growing taller?"

"YEAH! I'm two centimeters taller now!"

He patted her head when she climbed off him. "That's good. How are ya?"

"Good, but the guild's just not the same without you here!" She shook her head vehemently. "Gray-san looks depressed all the time because he can't fight with you, and Lucy-san keeps looking out the window, as if you'll climb in at any moment!" She giggled.

"Oi, Wendy! Don't exaggerate like that. You'll only feed his ego, gihihi." A shadow detached itself from the doorframe and stalked toward Natsu, hands behind its head.

"Oh, it's you." Natsu feigned a disinterested expression that would have made Laxus proud. "Why are you here anyway."

Gajeel's eyebrow ticked once as he neared the pink-haired boy, his mouth twitching slightly as well. "Be glad I made time to visit you in my busy schedule!"

"Busy? Gosh, doing what?" Natsu snickered. "Alphabetizing Levy's library?"

The iron dragonslayer's face flushed angrily and he raised a leather-clad fist. How did he know?! "I'm gonna fuckin-"

"Gajeel-san!" Wendy cried and leapt between the two men, hands waving frantically and eyes darting between the two uneasily. "Don't hit Natsu-san!"

"Yeah, don't hit me!" Natsu fake-pouted, throwing up his arms in a shielding gesture. "Listen to the little girl!"

"Oh, you motherfu-" The fist flew downward, but halted before it reached its target. Gajeel broke out in cold sweat.

Wendy's bottom lip was trembling, and her eyes... They were so... So huge and brown... And they were filling with tears.

"Gajeel-san..." Oh man, those eyes...

"'Kay. Fine." his hand flopped to his side and he shot the smirking boy on the bed a death glare. His other hand went to his throat in a cutting motion and he bared his teeth. Natsu just grinned.

"Natsu-san! Lucy-san said that you couldn't move, so she told me to help you!" Her smile was like someone pulled the curtains to let the sun in on a gloomy day. She stretched out her hand. "I'll just check if there's anything wrong and heal -"

"No." He snatched his arm away, cradling it to his chest. His eyes shone dangerously, like a cornered animal.

Her face fell. "What? Why?"

"Because..." Natsu racked his brain for a decent answer. He was such a jerk for refusing her like that. "Because I just used a little too much magic is all." He grinned at her.

Wendy thought he looked like a grinning skeleton. It sent shivers up her back to think of what his smiles used to be.

"Look." Gajeel shut the door quietly. "It's not just about that. You smell's changed." blood red eyes watched the black ones intensely. "There's something you're not telling us. And it's important."

"What-"

"Natsu-san. Please. We care about you." Wendy sat down beside him. "Something has happened and you have to tell us!"

He shook his head slowly, heavily. "No." His eyes lost their luster and he looked at them blankly. "No, I can't."

"WHY THE FUCK NOT?!"

"Because knowledge would only bring you pain." Dead eyes. Not a spark in them.

"And when you don't share the pain, you can only shoulder it yourself!" Wendy clenched her fists angrily. Real tears were springing up in her eyes and she blinked them away furiously. It wouldn't do to be weak now. She was part of Fairy Tail, and she would be strong.

"I asked Charla and Lily-san not to come, because they wouldn't understand. But WE," she gestured at the three of them, "We would understand each other because we are all children of dragons."

"No, Wendy." He looked hard at them. "You don't understand-"

"AND I WANT TO!" She cried wildly. Her nose was starting to sniffle. Gajeel shuffled awkwardly.

"We can share your pain! We can take away some of that hurt you carry on your back! We are willing to help you!

"Because, Natsu-san, because we're FAMILY! And family... We take care of each other.

"Everyone has a hard past, but we smile at the future together. No one will smile, if one of us is crying. Everyone can tell that you are hurt and you need our comfort. That's why I am here."

She pointed to her guild mark, her hand trembling with emotion.

"Tell me, what is this? TELL ME! This means that we are linked, in mind, in body, in spirit. We are Fairy Tail!

"Natsu-san, aren't you the one who always tells everyone what this means? Well, today, I am Fairy Tail. I am this family.

"And I need you to tell me what is wrong."

She let out a breath and relaxed, seeming to shrink back to her normal size. Now she was just Wendy, just a little girl who cared.

Natsu looked shocked at the tiny girl's outburst. He blinked slowly and gazed at her incomprehensibly.

Gajeel also looked as if he had just been hit by lightning. He opened his mouth, then, seeming to consider something, shut it.

"Woah." Natsu finally choked out. "Wendy, that was..."

"Fuckin' amazing." Gajeel finished. "Stop hanging out with Erza."

The petite girl blushed and looked at her feet shyly. "Um, it just kinda came out..." She scratched the back of her head. "But really, Natsu-san, we must know what has happened. Everybody is really worried about you! They all came downstairs with saddened faces and gloomy looks."

Gajeel regained his composure, his red eyes sharp again. "Yeah, tell us Salamander."

Natsu looked between them. Then his shoulders heaved and he seemed to age ten years. "Fine, but promise you won't tell anyone. Especially Luce." The two nodded furiously, heads bobbing up and down and eyes glistening.

"Do you know where the Dragons came from? Once upon a time, they were all human. Like us.

"And they all made deals with a demon for more power. The power of a dragon."

* * *

Her eyes grew wider and wider, until they seemed to swallow up her face. "No..." She moaned, her hands clutching at her face desperately. "Natsu-san... Why..."

"I'm sorry Wendy," He hung his head. Hearing his own story spelled out like that opened some old wounds that time had scarred over. And damn, it hurt.

"If you were really sorry, you wouldn't have done it, you bastard!" Gajeel was furious, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. His knuckles were white and his fury was scalding. "I never thought you would do it. You tried taking a cheap shortcut for power?! Of all things! You selfish piece of shit! And now..." He choked up and turned away, rubbing at his eyes angrily.

"You're gonna break bunny-girl's heart. You're going to break everyone's heart."

Normally, he would have laughed at Gajeel's sentimentality, but this time… Well, this wasn't exactly normal times, was it? His eyes stung so he looked at the wall in front of him instead. A photo of him grinning with his guild glared back at him.

He looked away from that too.

A soft touch pulled him from his haze of self-pity. Chestnut eyes looked back up at him. "Natsu-san, do you want me to try to use my magic? I might be able to help…"

He stared at her silently for a while, then nodded slowly. "It's… Dangerous." He croaked.

She shook her head gently and laid her palms on his arm. Her eyes closed and he felt the calm healing magic flow through his skin. It made him realize how tired he was, and his eyelids started fighting to stay open.

* * *

"_Um, hello?"  
_

_Wendy's voice seemed to echo endlessly. Where was she? What was this place? She was standing at the edge of a vast expanse, near the edge of a cliff._

_She could hear the roar of a waterfall nearby, its majestic power unrivalled in this god-forsaken, lonely place. Her only companions were the mutilated trees that stood guard, their dead branches reaching upward at the heavens. _

_The skies were grey and black, casting a gloomy light on everything around her. It was as if she was standing in a dull world, all the colour sucked up by some unimaginable force._

_A harsh wind picked up as she stood there, whipping her hair around her face. It bit into her skin like knives, stabbing at any bit of exposed skin. She shivered and walked toward the forest, hoping for some shelter. _

_She hadn't imagined Natsu's mind to be so bleak and dismal. To tell the truth, she'd expected to bump into some sort of funny rendition of their guild, where everyone was the way he wanted them to be. _

_She'd been hoping for something like that._

_She seemed to walk for an eternity, until her heels were sore and she was no longer cold. __A blotchy crimson rash spread over her face, rough and damaged by the bting wind. __Where was she going?_

_The wind seemed to pick up, and suddenly, she caught a whiff of someone familiar._

"_Natsu! Natsu-san!" She started to run, her sandals slapping against the rock-hard ground. Finally! She'd found him!_

_The pink dot grew larger and larger in the distance as she sprinted toward it._

_He was lying in a clearing, breathing shallowly when she found him. His eyes rolled wildly under his pale eyelids and his hands clutched at the scar in his side, where he'd been wounded in the GMG. __His nails had dug into his flesh, and blood ran freely down his side. __She could hardly feel any life coming from him._

"_Natsu-san?"_

_His eyes fluttered open, and he gasped painfully. "Wen…dy… Run…" He twitched, his body spasming.__ He tried to say something more, but blood filled up his mouth and his words melted into a gurgle. _

_It scared the shit out of her._

"_What's wrong?! Tell me what's wrong!" Her voice seemed too high to be her own, too thin to be heard, too scared. "Tell me!" His eyes found hers, his entire countenance scrunched up in pain. His pupils dilated and then shrank, until they were so small that she could barely see them. Bu the fear was evident. It poured out of those tiny pupils like the waterfall. _

_Overwhelmingly powerful._

"_Run…" _

_His hand found her tiny ones and clutched them so hard she thought her bones would break. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she shook her head. "Natsu-san! Please! Tell me what's wrong!"_

_All of a sudden he went limp. His pupils expanded until they swallowed up his onyx eyes. Bottomless. Endless. _

_Forever._

_Wendy couldn't breathe. Her lungs found no air in the thin atmosphere. No. NO. _

_NO._

_This was not happening. _

_She would wake up in a second, and Gajeel and Natsu would stare at her and ask her if she found anything. This was just a nightmare._

_The wind screeched and moaned, darting through the dead forest. Lamenting the fallen star._

_A lonely requiem._

* * *

_She knelt there for a long time, until Natsu twitched again. The indescribable joy that suddenly consumed her just poured out. She thought she would explode. _

_"Natsu-san?" His eyes opened. Wendy stumbled backward in shock._

_Dragon eyes looked back at her. He blinked, then smiled at her, showing a row Of bloody, sharp teeth. He sat up, free from the pain that had wracked his body, and stretched, cracking too many joints. He spat onto the ground._

_Wendy watched this with grotesque amazement as the boy stumbled to his feet and dusted himself off. She watched red scales spread over his body, covering him from head to toe, until only those demonic eyes watched her._

_Then a pair of huge leathery wings suddenly spread open and the powerful gust pushed her back. She crossed her arms in front of her face to protect herself from the fragments and rocks flying toward her._

_When she was finally able to open her eyes again, the sight that greeted her rocked her to her very core. _

_The boy was turning into a dragon. _

_His snout lengthened and his eyes glowed like embers. His pink hair retreated into his scalp as his body expanded like a scaled balloon. A tail emerged, and the wings no longer seemed unproportionally large. Claws and talons slammed into the ground, leaving marks on the barren rock as it approached her._

_It brought back memories of the bloody festival that had taken place after the GMG, and of the pain everyone had suffered. The coppery smell of blood invaded her nostrils and she looked down to see that her nails had left cuts in her palms._

_The dragon came closer._

_"Natsu-san? Is... Is that you?" Her voice was a whimper, true to the scared little girl that she was. Pathetic._

_A strange noise rumbled across the expanse. The ground shook with it. And earthquake? Then she realized that the dragon was laughing. It was an evil sound that made her head ache. It sent her spiraling into a dark world where no light had ever dared to trespass._

_"Wendy," A deep rumble. She felt the vibrations travel through the air. Malicious. _

_This was not the boy she knew. This was another being altogether._

_"Goodbye, little Wendy." Harsh, cold, like the biting wind._

_The gaping jaws opened, and the flames were the last thing that Wendy saw. _

_So hot. So painful. _

_But so, so cold._

* * *

**Okay, that's the end! Sorry for my sorta late update. I was lazy, and busy, and basically was not able to type much. Pardon the grammar mistakes and typos. I typed this on my IPad 1! Yes, they still exist. **

**And their touchscreen is a hell of a lot better than the google tablets.**

**Anyway, see ya! Thank you for reading. Don't forget to drop a review!**

**-Radish**


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